PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Many people are spending the day making a difference in their communities for the 29th annual Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service — the oldest and largest MLK day of service in the country.
The overarching theme of this year’s events is the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act.
“Dr. King led a movement to end discrimination in public accommodations, in housing, schools — even voting before the Voting Rights Act was enacted a year later,” said Todd Bernstein, president of Global Citizen and founder of the MLK Day of Service in Philadelphia.
For the 15th consecutive year, Girard College is the hub for a number of service projects. One focuses on helping victims of gun violence. Volunteers are packing hygiene bags for them.
“We’re working with hospitals who have told us that when gun violence victims are released, they often go to emergency shelters and family members with little or nothing,” Bernstein said.
Volunteers are putting together voter registration materials, too, which will be distributed to areas where there is historically low turnout. There is also a health and wellness fair and activities for children.
Mayor Cherelle Parker, Gov. Josh Shapiro, Sen. Bob Casey and other officials attended the opening ceremony.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden was at Philabundance, a food bank in South Philadelphia, for his Martin Luther King Jr. Day service, alongside Parker.
Biden and Parker arrived together, the president wearing a green Philabundance hat, which he proudly pointed out to the volunteers. The mayor was on carrot duty, while the president packed bags of apples.
Both chief executives chatted with the other volunteers as they collaboratively filled boxes rolling down a conveyor belt with milk, oil and other staples that Philabundance provides to Philadelphians in need.
Parker hurried out after volunteering for a few minutes. She had an appointment to ring the bell at the Sixers’ home game down the street.
This is the third year in a row since being elected that the president has volunteered to pack food boxes at the nonprofit. The first time was days before his inauguration in 2021.
Monday’s appearance was Biden’s third trip to Pennsylvania this month. He was in Allentown on Friday, and a week before that, he visited Valley Forge and delivered a speech at Montgomery County Community College.