Hundreds of community volunteers will participate in a day of service
On Monday, Jan. 21, hundreds of New Yorkers will join in a region-wide day of service in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at Sid Jacobson JCC. Organized by the JCC’s Center for Community Engagement and funded by UJA-Federation’s Time for Good, the Dream to End Hunger event will connect community volunteers and partners to make MLK Day more meaningful than just a day off.
The Dream to End Hunger event will address food insecurity on a local level. Volunteers will assemble ready-to-prepare meals by measuring dry ingredients into pouches, adding seasoning packets and vacuum sealing the pouches. The individually-wrapped meals will be donated to Island Harvest, the largest hunger relief organization on Long Island, for distribution to food pantries across the island.
“This event is an amazing day of service that brings together a community of volunteers to truly honor MLK’s mission of doing for others,” said Susan Berman, director of the Center for Community Engagement at Sid Jacobson JCC. “In just two hours, we can create 30,000 meals together and support many of our neighbors in need.”
One of the meals being prepared will support Island Harvest’s Kids Weekend Backpack Feeding Program which provides nutritious, shelf-stable food in local schools to children in need.
The event will begin at 10 a.m. with registration and a light breakfast for volunteers. To register for the Dream to End Hunger event or learn more about volunteer opportunities and ways to give back to the community, visit www.sjjcc.org/communityengagement or contact Berman, director, Center for Community Engagement at Sid Jacobson JCC at 516-484-1545 ext. 202 or email sberman@sjjcc.org.
Sid Jacobson JCC provides a full range of cutting-edge recreational, health, educational, cultural arts and social services programs while providing a comprehensive program based on Jewish values and culture, and is committed to enriching the lives of all individuals in its community.
—Submitted by the Sid Jacobson JCC