RICHMOND, Va. -- Hundreds of Central Virginia volunteers came together on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day to honor the Civil Rights leader's legacy in the service of others.
At a ceremony at the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia honoring unsung heroes, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney cited Dr. King's push for progress, speaking of the path forward when combatting racism, poverty, and housing insecurity.
"It's okay to celebrate progress, but it's okay to recognize that we have not arrived at the destination," Stoney said. "I know you will leave here with the challenge to do more for others, treat others with the compassion, dignity, and respect that they deserve, and Dr. King fought for."
In Richmond, volunteers put that call of service to action.
Hundreds of people from different businesses, sororities, and churches packed dehydrated meals to be shipped overseas with Rise Against Hunger at Hardywood Park Craft Brewing.
Founder Ray Buchanan said the packing event brought together people from all walks of life, creating an opportunity for teamwork and community service never experienced before by many of the volunteers.
"These people are taking time out of their vacation time or time off to do something for people they’ll never meet," Buchanan said. "The children that eat these meals, they’ll never meet them. But they’re absolutely changing nations."
In Petersburg, dozens of nonprofit and health organizations gathered at Tabernacle Baptist Church's Community Center to offer free health screenings, vaccines, COVID-19 tests, and meal kits.
"The people that come here often don’t know some of their healthcare needs because they don’t have time to come to the hospital, they don’t have time to do regular checkups with their providers, so some of the services offered like the basic healthcare screenings like the blood pressure checks and things of that nature go a long way to detecting the root cause of issues before they escalate," Paula Starnes with Aetna Virginia, said.
Senator Tim Kaine (D - Virginia) spoke at a church service prior to the event.
He said he hoped elected officials would reflect on Dr. King's history of walking alongside those in his community. He said service starts with showing up.
“You can’t sit in your ivory tower, even if the staff comes in and gives you a brief, and says, hey look here’s an organization that needs help. Well maybe you should go see for yourself," Kaine said.
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