Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Dozens Honor MLK Jr's Legacy With Day of Service to Help the Needy

James Johnson
/
WAER News

Dozens of people packed into a Syracuse union hall Monday morning with the less fortunate on their minds.  This year's Martin Luther King Junior holiday marks the 14th annual day of service food and clothing drive. 
 Volunteers  sorted donations, packed boxes, and loaded cars.  Helen Hudson is the AFL-CIO Community Services Liaison with the United Way, which organize the drive.   
One of the fraternities on hand was Omega Psi Phi.   This is Brother Leroy Antoine's second year.   

mlk_leroy_for_web.mp3
Omega Psi Phi brother LeRoy Antoine says they take pride in their service.

Volunteers like Antoine used their day off school or work to contribute to the cause. 

Credit James Johnson / WAER News
/
WAER News
A volunteer loads a car with one of 300 boxes of food and clothes heading to area shelters and food pantries.

 

mlk_karen_web.mp3
Vice President of the Greater Syracuse Labor Council Karen Smith explains how the event has grown over the years, and how it helps more than just the needy.

By the time the drive was over, volunteers had packed up 300 boxes of food and clothing to be sent to men’s and women’s shelters across the region.                                                          

 

Scott Willis covers politics, local government, transportation, and arts and culture for WAER. He came to Syracuse from Detroit in 2001, where he began his career in radio as an intern and freelance reporter. Scott is honored and privileged to bring the day’s news and in-depth feature reporting to WAER’s dedicated and generous listeners. You can find him on twitter @swillisWAER and email him at srwillis@syr.edu.