PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — When Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, he was in Memphis to lead a march on behalf of garbage workers for better pay and better work conditions.
On this day, the 89th anniversary of his birth and the national day honoring the slain civil rights icon, many people got together to volunteer their time and efforts to make Portland a better community.
SOLVE Oregon Litter and Vandalism invited more than 200 people to pick up trash along MLK Jr. Boulevard.
Quintin Bauer, the program director for SOLVE, said it’s a good way for people to give back, ” to take a couple hours out of your day to give back to your community and make it better for everybody, to do something for others.”
Banks are closed on this holiday, but many Bank of America workers volunteered at the Oregon Food Bank, packing 75,000 pounds of food and repack it into food boxes that will provide meals for 62,000 people.
The bank bought $15,000 worth of food for this project.
“Our employees are here today because they want to be,” said Roger Hinshaw, the Bank of America President for Oregon and Southwest Washington. “A lot of them have brought their families because they want to teach kids about volunteerism and giving back to the community.”
Susannah Morgan, the CEO of the Oregon Food Bank, said, “I believe that hunger is an issue that brings us all together. We collectively believe that no one should be hungry, no matter their circumstances or choices.”
These are among the many events marking Martin Luther King Day — raising voices in a chorus of giving back and contributing to the greater good.