In South Jersey, honoring Dr. King with get-well cards, brown bags and pride

Wearing a T-shirt honoring the work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., little Cami Grinnell happily pasted daisy and astronaut stickers onto a get-well card that would later be distributed to a sick child.

But the 3-year-old from Willingboro, who joined other youngsters participating Monday in a day of service honoring King, scampered off without saying anything about the man whose eloquence and dedication to civil rights helped bring major change to American society.

Charles, her 9-year-old brother, stood nearby at the Folwell School in Mount Holly and was eager to explain why King mattered.

When asked, Charles looked up from a school display of 10-inch cloth dolls that depicted King and other notable African Americans.

King "actually, really, stood up for all of us," Charles said, and then smiled broadly.

He then pointed to the Barack Obama figure, with gray hair, saying the president "took the place of Martin Luther King by trying to help people in our society."

Charles and Cami's mother, Yvonne, a volunteer first responder in Burlington City, said of the card-making project, "I think it's great. We were happy to come."

The Grinnells were among those volunteering in the 21st annual Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service. Founder Todd Bernstein said the events held across the region on the federal holiday had drawn more than 140,000 volunteers, shattering previous attendance records. They paid tribute to King's dream of serving others, helping those in poverty, and ending racism.

More than 100 children and adults gathered for the Mount Holly event, one of many locations across Southeastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey where volunteers took part in 1,800 projects.

Many were held at schools, colleges, churches, firehouses, and food pantries.

Diane Cruz, an organizer of the Folwell effort, said the cards and also the toys that volunteers collected would later be delivered to children at Virtua Memorial Hospital in Mount Holly. This is the second annual event, she said, noting that last year it was held in a firehouse. This year, she said, the school was needed to accommodate an anticipated larger turnout.

At the South Jersey Food Bank in Pennsauken, volunteers started at 8:30 a.m., with different groups working morning and afternoon shifts.

Michael Beck, 42, of Burlington Township, was among six Phi Beta Sigma volunteers who helped sort the food in the morning.

King "was a man who gave everything. We can definitely come out and give a little of our time today," Beck said. "We did not want to stay home to rest or sleep."

The fraternity's sister organization, Zeta Phi Beta - in both cases, the Gloucester County chapters - coordinated the volunteers, who were busy separating fruits, vegetables, proteins, dairy, snacks, and drinks. Vanessa Hamilton, 51, of Lindenwold, said she had volunteered at the Food Bank for five years.

"This is a day to give back to the community," Hamilton said. "We enjoy coming out to help others."

Malia Wells, 27, of Willingboro, said Beneficial Bank, where she works as a teller, encourages employees to volunteer. "We all had the day off. So there was no excuse that we did not have the time," Wells said.

Typically, the Food Bank gets 20 volunteers a day, said Gerald Tieyah, who manages volunteer services. But on Monday, 11 organizations brought about 120 volunteers to sort truckloads of food dropped off in the morning. After the food was sorted, it was boxed.

Outside the center, vans were ready for delivery to pantries in South Jersey. The pantries provide for the needy - many of whom are elderly, or working, but still can't cover all their bills.

In Camden, LEAP Academy students were among the 160 volunteers who made 817 sandwiches, packed them into brown bags with water bottles, fruit, and messages with inspirational quotes, and delivered them to the homeless, said Chanelle Wilson-Poe, an Academy English teacher and organizer. She said LEAP high school students took the food to five homeless shelters in Camden and also to the homeless encamped in the Walter Rand Transportation Center.

"It was an absolute success . . . an amazing experience," Wilson-Poe said. She said it was a first-time event and may be repeated.

About 300 people also showed up Monday at the Winslow Township municipal complex to participate in 17 projects run by the Loving Our Cities community engagement program at the Perfecting Church in Atco.

"It was amazing," said Angela Brown, the program's executive director, after the first wave of volunteers arrived. They ranged in age from elementary school children to the elderly and, among others, performed a project in which toiletry kits were assembled for women in local shelters.

In Philadelphia, several thousand people gathered at Girard College for the Martin Luther King Day of Service, where Harris Wofford, a civil rights pioneer and one of the founders of the Day of Service, addressed the crowd. "The beauty of this room is you," said Wofford, who was a good friend of King.

jhefler@phillynews.com

856-779-3224@JanHefler

Staff writer Maria Panaritis contributed to this article.