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PHOENIX - Volunteers across the Phoenix area honored the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday by participating in the tradition of a day of service.
What we know:
Guided by King’s philosophy that citizenship requires active participation, community members spent their holiday addressing local poverty and food insecurity.
At 12th Avenue and Van Buren Street, Brandon Nahsonhoya distributed food in a downtown area known as "The Zone," where many of the city’s unhoused residents congregate. The meals were provided by Arizona Jews for Justice, whose volunteers worked three shifts on the holiday to prepare peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and snack bags.
"You see these people, and it's like... there’s no words to really describe what you see," said Karri Bernstein of Arizona Jews for Justice. "I think that just having a positive impact and knowing that you’re making a difference."
‘You have to do good’
At St. Mary’s Food Bank, nearly 400 volunteers packed food boxes for a line of residents that included not only the unhoused, but also people with jobs and homes who are struggling to make ends meet.
"It’s not enough to just not do harm. You have to do good," said Ken Vogel with Arizona Jews for Justice. "It’s not possible to live a good life without trying to help other people."
For many, the day served as a reminder that individuals can effect change despite the daunting scale of systemic poverty. Caroline Hilgert, a volunteer at the food bank, noted that while the news often focuses on hardship, there are daily actions people can take to ease the lives of others.
Josh Guethle brought his seven children to volunteer rather than spending their school holiday at home. His family spent the day packing supplies and offering hope to those on the streets.
"Not everybody is stuck out here for life," Guethle said. "When you come and give them hope and new clothes and food, that can be enough for someone to get them off the streets."