SYRACUSE -- The event is co-sponsored by the United Way of Central New York and the Greater Syracuse Labor Council.
Helen Hudson, of the United Way of CNY, says the event collects and delivers donations of food and clothing to those in need.
“As we know in organized labor, we have seen the shrinkage of the different facilities in our community and when you are losing jobs there becomes a higher and higher need,” she says.
This is the thirteenth year the Greater Syracuse Labor Council and the United Way of Central New York have co-sponsored the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. Hudson says the need this year is greater than ever, especially for parents of small children.
“Having diapers and formula for their babies that is a huge task, what we are trying to do today is we are trying to ensure that we can give those things to our community,” she says.
Syracuse University student Krystal Ealy says volunteering to help those in the community is a way to carry on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s message of service to others.
“He wasn’t just a preacher, he wasn’t just an activist. He honestly wanted the community to come together for not only the betterment of our people but honestly for all people in general, for the human race for humanity,” Ealy says.
