From assembling care kits for area food pantries to crafting pet toys for shelter animals and preparing sandwiches and casseroles for local homeless agencies, more than 1,000 volunteers showed up for a “day on” at Stockton University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Jan. 19.
“We know what Dr. King stood for. He stood for racial equality, human rights and so much more. He stood for all nationalities to be able to sit at the table, elbow to elbow and to work together. To be kind to one another. And to give back to the community and to help others in need. And this is what these projects are all about,” said Shawn Cooper, chair of the Day of Service planning committee.
The volunteers — including Stockton students, faculty, staff and alumni, as well as local businesses and community members — participated in 34 service projects in Galloway, Atlantic City and Hammonton in memory of the late civil and social rights champion.
“As an Anchor Institution in South Jersey, Stockton is deeply rooted in the communities we serve,” said President Joe Bertolino to the volunteers. “Your hands and hearts are building a better South Jersey and bringing our Ethic of Care to life.”
First-year student Nyfese Clark assembled dog toys for the Humane Society at the Atlantic City campus.
“I wanted to try and meet new people and give back,” said the Criminal Justice major from Pennsauken. “Plus, I have a dog named Bella and this project made me think of her.”
(Stockton University/Abbigail Erbacher)
Brian K. Jackson, vice president for Community Engagement at Stockton, said this year’s event had one of the highest turnouts in the event’s history.
“It is incredibly meaningful for me to see how this event has grown over 22 years. This is the largest MLK Day event in South Jersey, and I believe Dr. King would be proud to see we are marking his legacy of public service and civic engagement,” Jackson said.
More than a dozen local businesses and community organizations also lent a hand.
Members of the Visit Atlantic City “Kindness Krew” assembled “pet nibblers” for cats and dogs, filling cardboard tubes with kibble. The tubes will be donated to the Humane Society of Atlantic County and the Atlantic County Animal Shelter.
“We try to do something for the community once a month,” said Mary Moliver, executive director of Destination Services. “In December, we adopted a family and have worked with Sister Jean’s Kitchen.”
Stockton alumna Alyssa Grover ’22, digital communications manager for Visit AC, is a big fan of the Kindness Krew’s contributions to the community.
“We are continuing to reach out and volunteer in the community regularly,” she said while stuffing a tube with cat kibble.
Meanwhile, Grace Connelly, of Mays Landing, made tote bags out of recycled T-shirts with her husband, Christopher, and her daughter Amelie, who started volunteering at MLK Day of Service when she was 3 years old.
“It’s wonderful to give back to the community. It feels good inside to volunteer,” she said.
This year was her sixth MLK Day of Service. She is a Stockton Psychology and Elementary Education graduate and teaches third grade in Pleasantville.
Damaris-Anne Spring, a senior Sociology and Anthropology major from Willingboro, has worked in Stockton’s Office of Community Engagement for four years. “Our work is rooted in service. I chose this job because I love service, and working at MLK Day allows me to bring other people to join in the service we do and support our community partners.
“It’s nice to have other people come out and see what we do and invite them to participate. It’s not every day that you get to have events like this and it brings the community together,” she said.
Spring credits her service-oriented family and growing up in church for getting her involved in community engagement. She learned from her parents that “giving back to the community is something that we are meant to do. When so many people give back to you, it’s always good to make sure that you pay that forward.”
