Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service

A Day of Service to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

QUINCY, MA – On Monday, January 18, 2021, the South Shore YMCA partnered with NeighborWorks for a service project as part of the national 2021 MLK Day of Service.

 

To honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., South Shore Y staff members joined the staff at NeighborWorks, a leading nonprofit developer of affordable homes for families, veterans, people with disabilities, and formerly homeless individuals and families, for a day of service. The teams packaged and delivered essential items of daily living, such as personal hygiene items, toiletries, toilet paper, coats, hats, scarves, gloves, games, and puzzles, to residents of over 160 housing units in Quincy.

For years, the South Shore Y has been proud to partner with NeighborWorks, serving local residents through our mobile food pantry and beyond. NeighborWorks gives neighbors in need a chance to get back on their feet, to transition from homelessness to permanent housing, and work with advocates to find employment and a path towards a brighter future.

“Today on MLK Day we really appreciate the value of the service that the South Shore YMCA is providing for us,” said Donna Ackerman, Quincy Site Director for NeighborWorks Housing Solutions. “Due to the pandemic, there are so many other needs that our tenants have, and addressing things like winter coats, and toiletries and toilet paper and backpacks and toys for children really make a difference in the lives of our tenants.”

Thanks to the generosity of its donors, the South Shore YMCA was able to donate these essential items and volunteer their time to help out these neighbors.

“We at the South Shore YMCA are proud to partner and serve with NeighborWorks on Martin Luther King Day to help these residents in local housing,” said Patrick Murphy, Senior Executive Director for the South Shore YMCA Quincy branch. “As an organization, we are truly focused on serving our community every day, but especially today, and we know that the impact will stretch much further than just one day.”

“NeighborWorks has been founded on the beauty and great work of partnerships,” added Ackerman. “The Y was very helpful at Christmastime with toys for our tenants. Also, before the pandemic, we were the grateful recipients of the Y’s mobile pantry. So, the Y has really made a difference in many of our tenants’ lives, and we hope to grow the partnership after the pandemic as we look forward to a long-term partnership.”

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Your donation to the South Shore YMCA helps provide food, supplies, services, and clothing needed to help families and individuals in our community throughout the year. Since volunteers cannot join together to celebrate Dr. King in person this year due to COVID-19, the Y continues to keep his dream alive by helping fellow neighbors in need every day. As Dr. King once said, “Everybody can be great … because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve… You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

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About the South Shore YMCA

The South Shore YMCA is a leading charitable organization dedicated to strengthening the community through programs that promote healthy spirit, mind, and body. Serving the communities of Quincy, Randolph, Holbrook, Weymouth, Braintree, Milton, Hingham, Hull, Cohasset, Scituate, Norwell, Hanover, and beyond, the South Shore Y provides the opportunity to grow, learn, and thrive through its services and programs. Financial Assistance is a Y community benefit available to all families in need, applicable to all Y programs and services. To learn more about the South Shore YMCA, visit www.ssymca.org. The South Shore YMCA. The Better You Belongs Here.