Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Everyone can be great because everybody can serve.” BAPS Charities commemorated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day through an act of service to making the community a better place. In addition to the devastating impact on people’s lives and health due to COVID -19, the pandemic has also negatively impacted the economy and the financial standing of many. The loss of income has led to food insecurity, especially in having access to nutritious foods for many individuals and families.
In the spirit of service and Dr. King, BAPS Charities donated close to 1,000 pounds of canned and non-perishable goods to a drive-thru food giveaway event hosted and organized by California Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes, CAIR-LA, and Sahaba Initiative. BAPS Charities volunteers also joined the event and helped prepare hundreds of bags of food to be given to people in need in the area.
Assemblymember Reyes shared a reminder about the spirit of MLK Day and shared her gratitude to BAPS Charities. “On this day, it is so inspiring to see so many come together to help our community. As the pandemic continues, we need to do more and more of these types of events, especially as food insecurity increases in our community. Thank you for joining us today to make a difference.”
As a part of a focus on food insecurity perpetuated by the pandemic, BAPS Charities in Los Angeles mobilized food donations to homeless shelters, food banks, and low-income communities. BAPS Charities thanks all of the volunteers and donors of diverse ages and backgrounds who came together to help the community.
Samay and Niyati Patel, both siblings and BAPS Charities volunteers that live in the area volunteered their time for the event. “Service is a powerful way to commemorate and honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We are honored to be BAPS Charities volunteers and humbled to spend our day serving our community during these unprecedented times.”
Donations were collected while observing appropriate masking and social distance guidelines to protect the health of everyone involved. BAPS Charities volunteers all across the US and around the world are finding ways to help their communities. From the distribution of food to the donations of N95 masks to hospitals to providing monetary assistance to charitable organizations, BAPS Charities aims to support local communities.
