The Bridgerunners packed food that they then ran over to the church.

The Bridgerunners packed food that they then ran over to the church.

AHRC New York City’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service initiatives continued for a third consecutive year despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. A combination of small, safe in-person volunteer efforts and virtual programming brought together partner organizations, community members, people supported, families, and staff. The day was made possible through a grant by AmeriCorps and The Arc.

Among the organizers from AHRC NYC were staff members including Jonathon Epstein, David Summers, Andrew Pfadt-Trilling, Pola-Ana Mora, Racquel Pinnock, Richardson Saintpierre, Patricia Grummun, Karen Zuckerman, Mary Darboh, Cathy Chung, Joyce Minault, Sharett Bood, Michael Kaplan, Rolando Gonzalez, Matthew Estep, and Michelle Brown. Self-advocates participating were Vivian Murray, Shanequa Warner, Chad DeRoche, and Edwan Tsang.

Virtual Programming Designed to Build Community Connections

The food made it to the church thanks to the volunteers

The food made it to the church thanks to the volunteers

With in-person volunteering limited, organizers connected people interested in volunteering with initiatives in their local neighborhoods and gave them opportunities to speak with experts on causes they are driven to support such as racial equity, community fridges, delivering food to those in need, housing rights, domestic violence, and more. More than 70 people were able to attend, creating a foundation for building on many of the initiatives that were discussed prior to and during the Day of Service.

Presenters from local community groups include:

Packing the food in front of Levain bakery

Packing the food in front of Levain bakery

The community organizers presented to all people supported by AHRC NYC and their families, NYC local community members, and AHRC NYC staff in attendance and had more in-depth and personal conversations in small group breakout sessions that focused on specific issues such as housing, domestic violence, and the many ways to support food security. In the Kids Korner breakout session, which included Vik Bensen of Citymeals on Wheels, people created handmade greeting cards that will be distributed to seniors with meals and engaged in other fun volunteer activities.

The message for people to carry forward with them through 2021 was perhaps best expressed by Joyce Mineault, Community Support Supervisor with Brooklyn Day Services: “Enriching our neighborhoods is how we enrich our lives.

Fighting Food Insecurity in Brooklyn

Two bakeries—Saraghina in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Levain in Williamsburg—donated dozens of pounds of bread, muffins, scones, and more through their partnership with Rescuing Leftover Cuisine, an organization that donates unused food from local restaurants to local food banks.

The NYC Bridgerunners, a running collective, Germania Reyes and her kids, and Tahj Holligan from Employment and Business Services-Brooklyn, met at Levain to transport excess food to St. John the Evangelist Lutheran Church Food Pantry.

Tahj Holligan with the food Levain Bakery donated on the MLK Day of Service

Tahj Holligan with the food Levain Bakery donated on the MLK Day of Service

Tahj said he enjoys volunteering opportunities whenever he gets the chance to take part, including prior to the pandemic with Citymeals on Wheels.

Today should be a day of service and we’re always getting involved in community outreach,Muriel Salimin, one of the runners, said. “We worked with AHRC last year, as well. It’s a fun way to help.

Germania Reyes volunteered with her two kids, Gabby and Bella. “I used to say that when I retire, all I will do is volunteer,” Germania said. “One day I woke up and said, what if I die tomorrow? I can do work right now.

Levain Bakery donated approximately 25 pounds of baked goods, while Saraghina provided eight pounds of food to a local service organization. Additionally, other volunteers drove meals to 19 homebound seniors via the Reaching Out Community Services Homebound Seniors Project. One of the seniors was not home and that meal was given to a young homeless person.

AHRC NYC remains committed to carrying out Dr. King’s principles throughout 2021 and beyond, promoting social justice for all people with disabilities.