LANSING, Mich. — MLK Day is about more than a day off work and school— not only does it mark the birthday of the civil rights hero, it's often used as a day of service.
On Saturday, members of the Lansing community got to work even before the official holiday collecting clothes, food, and basic necessities to redistribute to the Lansing area.
“I thought doing a necessity drive would help address a widespread amount of community needs and I’m here with the rest of my cohort kind of fielding questions and meeting people and taking donations," said Ayla Tulette who organized the day of service.
Tulette and about five other volunteers set up shop in The Fledge, which used to be an old church now turned into a community resource.
There are more ways to honor Martin Luther King Jr. this weekend too.
- Help sew cloth masks with the Monroe Center and the Michigan Community Service Commission which is headquartered in Lansing. They are offering virtual opportunities as well. Call (734) 241-0408 for more information.
- Sign up to be a BookPal and read to first through third graders
- Find a cause you believe in with a little help from VolunteerMatch.com
“[This work is] super important right now because the cost of food is going up. Inflation is in fact affecting prices of almost everything, and with the pandemic still happening, people need things," said Jerry Norris who owns and operates The Fledge. "They need help.”
Norris says that he was happy to host the event because of the Fledge's location and community involvement. The Fledge is located on the Eastside of Lansing and the space serves as a lot of things. It's a community center, events space and small food pantry. Their goal is to uplift the community in any form that takes.
“The fledge is a kind of central location for the community being so close to downtown and Sparrow Hospital," Norris said. "It's kind of a follow on from our vaccine events where we were able to pull big crowds in. And I think that people see that it's warm, they trust us, they know that we're trying to do something good for the community.”
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