The First Presbyterian Church hosted more than 75 adults and children for the Martin Luther King Day of Service on Jan. 19 to pack food for area organizations.
The volunteers packed more than 100 bagged lunches, while church chefs cooked pans of chicken and trays of brownies that were both delivered to Joseph’s House in Camden.
Caroline Yount, a member of the church’s mission committee and former chair, said that when she became the committee’s head, she wanted to again have the day of service.
“As I became in more of a leadership role of the church, I really wanted to bring something back that seemed so special …” she explained. “So now it’s really gratifying to see families come in and just kids being involved and feeling good about helping others … I wanted to bring it back in 2021, but we could not get the church up and running in time to bring it back until January of 2023.”
Yount noted this year’s good turnout of volunteers, an increase over last year, when the service day was postponed because of winter weather.
“People were coming and going,” Yount recounted of last month’s effort. “It started out, I was pretty nervous that nobody was going to be there because of the ice. And so, it was mostly other people that were helping me were there first, and then all of sudden people just kept coming in. And it was like, ‘Oh man, people are coming out.'”
Volunteers from toddlers to a 90-year-old also assembled 250 utensil packets for Cathedral Kitchen in Camden and more than 100 “blessing bags” with items like socks, snacks, personal toiletries and hand warmers for Unforgotten Haven in Blackwood.Â
Yount pointed out that the day of service is something the church is happy to host.
“People really want to do something to help others,” she explained. “And sometimes they just don’t know what to do or where to go … Just working with kids, working with the community, there’s so many wonderfully giving people … There’s a desire to help others. And I think as a church, it’s very important that we are there for people in need and remember what Dr. King told us about how we should care for others and what the day should be.”
Volunteers painted Valentine-themed wooden centerpieces for the Cathedral Kitchen dining room and made Valentine cards for clients of Interfaith Caregivers in the borough.
“Even if it’s just brightening someone’s day by making a card, it’s making food,” Yount said. “But it’s also being together and working together to know that you’re bringing something to someone who is in need.”
