Some people took the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday Monday and used it to help other people.
At the Master’s Table Soup Kitchen, people received haircuts, a hot meal and showers.
“It’s not a day off; it’s a day of being on, a day of reflection in that we are the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King with a day of service. This is our third year of doing this. We are so glad to be able to help those who are less fortunate than us,” said Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson, whose office has organized the soup kitchen event for the past three years.
Project Refresh brought its mobile shower unit to the site. People could take hot showers and receive fresh clothes.
In the courtyard of the soup kitchen, barbers from The Barbers’ Emporium cut hair and trimmed beards. And the main feature was the midday meal.
“When they leave here today, they are going to feel like new people,” said Doressa Hawes, corporate development officer at Golden Harvest Food Bank. “A hot shower, hot meal and fresh clothes makes you feel like new.”
A few blocks over from the Master’s Table, several groups gathered at GAP Ministries to help those less fortunate with a canned food drive to support the organization’s choice food pantry.
This was the second year the United Way of the CSRA’s AmeriCorps VISTA program has partnered with GAP on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
“We are so thankful to GAP ministries,” said Sharonda Williams, the United Way’s AmericCorps VISTA leader. “Their needs have increased. They were seeing about 250 people per week. Since Hurricane Helene they’re seeing 350 a week.”
Many people who’ve never needed assistance are trying to come back from the devastation of the hurricane, according to GAP’s executive director, Nomi Stanton. The face of homelessness and need isn’t always what people think.
Last year’s food drive collected more than 10,000 pounds of food, Williams said.
Several community groups also joined in with the effort including members of Tabernacle Baptist Church EvolveHER mentoring group, Georgia-Carolina Boy Scouts of America and Alpha Kappa Alpha Zeta Xi Omega.
GAP Ministries has a variety of programs including food, diaper and prescription drug assistance at its weekly distribution day on Thursday. The agency works in tandem with other organizations, said Stanton, GAP’s executive director.
People staying at the Salvation Army Center of Hope may have a day job but not be able to afford a lunch. They can get one of the packed lunches from the walking bag program, she said. And people are often referred to GAP through United Way’s 211 referral line.
“We are all connected,” she said.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years and is a Georgia Press Association award winner. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
