Wall Again Remembering Martin Luther King Jr With Day Of Service

WALL, NJ — For the third straight year, Wall Township volunteers will be spending the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday giving back and helping the community.

Billed as a "day on, not a day off" and coordinated by Wall volunteers, middle school, and high school students, the event will include clothing, food, diaper, prom dress, book, and pet supply drives to benefit area charities. The event is sponsored by Wall Intermediate School National Junior Honor Society.

It is set for Monday, Jan. 21, and will be held from 9 a.m. until noon at the Wall Intermediate School cafeteria.

Participation in the event is open to area community members, parents and students. During the event, organizers are requesting that participants drop off:

• Nonperishable food items (peanut butter, pasta, rice, canned goods, cereal, etc.)
• New or gently used clothing
• Disposable diapers and baby wipes
• Pet supplies (canned and dry food, toys, clean used towels and sheets, etc.)
• Gently used prom dresses and tuxedos
• Children’s books

In addition, students will be delivering baked goods to area first responders and painting rocks as part of the "Wall Rocks" community initiative to spread kindness and art throughout the community.

Drop-off boxes are also available at Wall Intermediate School through Friday, Jan. 18 during school hours.

The drive will benefit the following local nonprofit organizations: Manasquan Food Pantry, Child Care Resources of Monmouth County, Your Grandmother's Cupboard, Pick Your Paw Rescue, Wag-On Inn Rescue, Associated Humane Societies, and Boys and Girls Club of Monmouth County.

The event, which launched in 2017, gives students and community members an opportunity to perform acts of service and give back to the community on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Each previous event has collected more than 150 bags of clothing; 1,100 pounds of food; 1,600 diapers; and carloads of pet supplies, all of which were donated to area charities.

Volunteers are also needed for the day of the event. If you or your group are interested in collecting items for the event, donating baked goods for first responders, or volunteering the day of, visit @walldayofservice on Facebook or email walldayofservice@gmail.com.

Photo provided by Wall Day of Service