Martin Luther King Day means service for The Y

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What some saw as a Monday off from work or school, The Riverdale Y and Part of the Solution viewed as an opportunity to serve others.

Through the United Jewish Appeal-Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York, The Y and POTS along with others used their Martin Luther King Jr. Day to honor the civil rights leader’s memory with a helping hand.

“We have participants who found us through our website,” said Rabbi Joseph Robinson, director of community engagement at The Riverdale Y. “We have a number of students from the Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy and other local schools who just found us and were interested in connecting with us.”

The north Bronx, through several community organizations, showed up in a big way for Martin Luther King Day. The Y worked with six different organizations on seven different projects to celebrate the legacy of King. At its 5625 Arlington Ave., location volunteers worked with Rise Against Hunger, a global nonprofit hunger relief organization. With the help of volunteers and Riverdale Y staff members, they packaged up to 10,000 meals for those in need.

Hunger relief programs were also conducted through the Bronx Jewish Community Council at the Amalgamated Houses, with a focus on feeding the elderly. POTS volunteers organized the food pantry and meals for families. The Commission of Human Rights took a social education route at the Riverdale Presbyterian Church by teaching teens ways to combat prejudice and racism.

“Each year, we try and diversify the kinds of projects we do because we know our volunteers have different interests and we want this to be as meaningful as possible for everyone and people in the Jewish community,” said Shana Bloom, assistant director and community volunteer engagement for UJA. “Although projects have stayed similar, we’ve incorporated new projects every year.”

UJA is a philanthropy that provides grants for organizations like The Riverdale Y to complete service projects. UJA provides funding year-round for various projects like the Bronx Jewish Community Council and Jewish Association for Services for the Aged.

Although the organization has celebrated Martin Luther King Day for a few years now, this year boasted their largest number of volunteers and non-profit partners. Nearly 3,000 people registered to volunteer across the city, and up to 4,000 showed up.

“This is about continuing his legacy,” said Stephanie Caban, a POTS volunteer coordinator. “I understand what it means to serve and doing it almost because of him and in memorial of him because of the work he started. It’s super important and I’m super excited to work with volunteers who recognize (Martin Luther King’s) significance and the significance of working in the community.”

Martin Luther King’s Jan. 15 birthday was turned into a federal holiday in 1983. U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat who marched alongside King during the civil rights era — introduced the King Holiday and Service Act a decade later. Signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1994, the idea was to encourage volunteerism and other service in King’s name on his federal holiday.

Now, on every third Monday in January, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated by helping others and combating the nation’s biggest issues.

Robinson worked with Caban to organize the Rise Against Hunger project at POTS. Although this is the organizations’ first time working together, they’re more connected than they appear. Caban lives in Kingsbridge, and the executive director, Alicia Guevara lives in Riverdale. Guevara grew up in the Bronx near the Fordham Road area, and although she lives in Riverdale now, she finds ways to connect the two through service. Schools like Manhattan College, Ethical Culture Fieldston and Riverdale Country School have volunteered at POTS. But since Guevara’s induction last year, she’s been looking to secure more Riverdale ties.

So when she saw The Riverdale Y’s MLK day advertisement while walking her daughter to school, she considered it an opportunity to get her organization involved.

“It’s a time for good,” Robinson said. “It’s a way of connecting with organizations we may not be familiar with and a way to find out they exist. It’s a central mission and helps to build bridges and relationships that help make our community a better place.”

The true success in the service projects that occurred in and around The Riverdale Y was not only in the work done on MLK Day, but in those who are inspired to carry on the effort, said Robinson.

The emergency food program at the Webster Avenue POTS consists of a food pantry, which is open Monday through Saturday, all year-round, except New Year’s Day to those in need who have already registered with POTS. And it’s not just Martin Luther King Jr. Day or the holidays or other special days POTS needs help. The hunger relief organization always looks for volunteers, and anyone interested can sign up at POTSBronx.org.

“We’re excited people can use MLK and his legacy as a springboard into action rather than just taking the day off and binging on Netflix,” Robinson said. “They have an opportunity to think beyond themselves on this day of service and to connect with the community.”

Martin Luther King Jr. Day, The Riverdale Y, POTS, service, Simone Johnson

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