Miami Gardens Hosts Service Days To Honor King

Miami FL

20 January, 2021

7:52 AM

Description

By Johania Charles, Miami Times Staff Writer PPE care packages created for distribution in Miami Gardens./Johania Charles for The Miami Times Pastor Darren Bennett/Johania Charles for The Miami Times, the Miami Times Jan 19, 2021 Miami Gardens residents were greeted Monday morning by bright orange shirts and personal protect equipment (PPE) delivered to their doorsteps. In spite of the lingering presence of the coronavirus, councilman Robert Stephens III was set on maintaining the city's tradition of service specific to Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In a typical year, hundreds of volunteers would gather to give back to the community without a second thought. But in the days of COVID-19, discussion on which activities would be both fitting and safe was required. The city's elected officials ultimately collaborated to host a PPE distribution effort organized by Stephens. Among those present were Rep. Felicia Robinson, Sen. Shevrin Jones, councilwomen Katrina Wilson and Linda Julien. Hand sanitizers, gloves and masks were packaged in bags and delivered to 500 homes in the Scott Lake area. More than 100 volunteers made up of Miami Gardens residents, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity members, North Miami's Calvary Chapel clergy and members of local nonprofits gathered at Scott Park to serve in honor of MLK. "Our community lacks resources like PPE equipment," said Stephens. "Residents are still struggling and we're hoping that this will provide some sort of relief. We're doing our part to stop the spread to get back to a better tomorrow." Veronica Palmer, a resident who has participated in service days in the past, was delighted to contribute her time this year in a socially distanced way. "You have to be active in your community," she said. "You also need to have a relationship with your government because that's when things work better." For Darren Bennett and 35 of his congregants who showed up to volunteer, the day of service meant living out their faith. "It goes back to the days of [MLK] when many parishioners and preachers stood hand in hand to make sure the city [residents] knew that they were cared for and loved," said the Calvary Chapel's pastor. "We [were] excited to be there to serve and show the love of Jesus Christ through the city." Prior to Monday's day of service, Wilson held her own volunteer event at Leslie Estates 4 with Miami Gardens Mayor Rodney Harris and Miami-Dade County Commissioner Vice Chairman Oliver Gilbert III. Many showed up to the event, organized as a community beautification project meant to keep the community clean. Volunteers received shirts, neon safety vests and cleaning gear. They marched around the area collecting trash and debris, enough to fill up multiple large trash bags. Volunteers for both events expressed their belief that their time honoring King was best served on the streets of Miami Gardens. The Miami Times is the largest Black-owned newspaper in the south serving Miami's Black community since 1923. The award-winning weekly is frequently recognized as the best Black newspaper in the country by the National Newspaper Publishers Association.