On Jan. 21, hundreds of New Yorkers will join in a region-wide day of service in honor of 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 a day on, rather 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 Long 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 Long Island 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 on a weekly basis. The food affords these children the opportunity to return to school nourished and better equipped to learn, socialize and excel.
The event will begin at 10 a.m. with registration and a light breakfast for volunteers. Meal packaging will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
To register for the Dream to End Hunger event or learn more about volunteer opportunities and ways to give back to the community, please visit sjjcc.org/communityengagement or contact Berman at Sid Jacobson JCC, (516) 484-1545 ext. 202 or sberman@sjjcc.org.
