January 19, 2021
Miami Gardens residents were greeted by bright orange shirts and personal protective equipment (PPE) delivered to their doorsteps on Monday morning.
Despite the continued presence of the coronavirus, Alderman Robert Stephens III was anxious to maintain the tradition of service in the city specific to Martin Luther King Jr.Day.
In a typical year, hundreds of volunteers gathered to give something back to the community without a second thought. However, in the days of COVID-19, a discussion was needed about what activities are both appropriate and safe.
The city’s elected officials eventually worked together to carry out a distribution of PPE organized by Stephens. Those in attendance included Rep. Felicia Robinson, Senator Shevrin Jones, Councilors Katrina Wilson and Linda Julien.
Hand sanitizer, gloves and masks were bagged and delivered to 500 households in the Scott Lake area. More than 100 volunteers, comprised of Miami Gardens residents, members of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, clergy from Calvary Chapel in North Miami, and members of local nonprofit organizations, gathered in Scott Park to serve in honor of MLK.
“Our community is lacking resources like PPE equipment,” said Stephens. “Residents are still struggling and we hope this brings some sort of relief. We are doing our part to stop the spread in order to return to a better tomorrow.”
Veronica Palmer, a resident who has attended Tuesday days in the past, was delighted to be contributing her time in a socially detached way this year.
“You have to be active in your community,” she said. “You also need to have a relationship with your government because then things will work better.”
For Darren Bennett and 35 of his community members who volunteered, Day of Service meant living their faith.
“It goes back to the days of [MLK] when many parishioners and preachers stood hand in hand to secure the city [residents] knew that they were cared for and loved, “said the pastor of the Calvary Chapel.” We [were] excited to be there to serve and show the love of Jesus Christ through the city. “
Before Tuesday’s Tuesday, Wilson hosted 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 came to the event, which was organized as a community beautification project to keep the community clean. The volunteers were given shirts, neon safety vests and cleaning supplies. They marched around picking up trash and debris, enough to fill several large garbage bags.
Volunteers for both events expressed their belief that their time in King’s honor was best served on the streets of Miami Gardens.
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