Slideshow: 24th annual Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service

Posted 1/24/19

Despite frigid temperatures, hundreds of thousands of volunteers turned out for the 24th annual Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service held on Jan. 21 while many outdoor service …

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Slideshow: 24th annual Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service

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Despite frigid temperatures, hundreds of thousands of volunteers turned out for the 24th annual Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service held on Jan. 21 while many outdoor service projects were canceled due to weather forecasts calling for snow or heavy precipitation.

The theme of this year’s day of service focused on young people and the impact of gun violence on communities, finding solutions and envisioning peace.

Several churches, schools, institutions, businesses and other organizations participated in service projects in our area including Woodmere Art Museum, Unitarian Society of Germantown, Holy Cross Catholic School, High Point Café, Teenagers Inc., Summit Presbyterian Church, Restoration Unitarian Church and many more.

A large variety of service projects took place including preparing and cooking soup and brownies for Face to Face in Germantown, making lunches and breakfasts for Aid for Friends and other organizations, collecting and sorting canned goods for Philabundance and local food pantries, writing letters and other messages to include in care packages, visiting senior citizens in Germantown and cleaning and painting local schools and other community buildings.

Other events included prayer services, a citizen advocacy training and a Raise the Wage Rally, both sponsored by State Sen. Art Haywood.

On Martin Luther King Day, Sen. Haywood joined Philadelphians Organized to Witness, Empower and Rebuild (POWER), the Unitarian Society of Germantown, Raise the Wage PA! and other activists for a Raise the Wage Rally. The rally was held outside of the McDonald’s on 29 E. Chelten Ave. in Germantown to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King’s dedication to service and equal rights for workers.

In a press release, Haywood said, “Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., said, ‘The time is always right to do what is right,’ and I share the same sentiment. Hardworking individuals deserve a working wage, and this year we will support McDonald employees in their fight to receive livable wages.”

This article has been updated. An earlier version incorrectly stated that Holy Cross Catholic Church participated in a service project. It should have said Holy Cross Catholic School.