From the Martin Luther King Observance Committee:
The Martin Luther King Observance Committee was formed to honor the life and legacy of slain Civil Rights advocate, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Throughout the existence of the organization over the past 50 years, the Committee has been very intentional in supporting individuals and entities committed to embodying and sustaining the principles and beliefs that Dr. King espoused in his life through their activities, aspirations, and programs.
This support has been in the form of providing financial contributions to deserving students through scholarships and awards, and to organizations like the King Center for Non-violent Social Change, the Children’s Defense Fund, and the King Memorial Fund.
The ultimate goal of these contributions has been to help create a “beloved community´ that embraces and promotes social justice, equal opportunity, peace and brotherhood, and harmonious relationships in a loving and caring society.
The recent Coronavius pandemic that has plagued our country over the past few months has brought upon us harsh circumstances that threaten our pursuit of Dr King’s dream of societal wholeness.
The stark reality is that this pandemic has wrought a devastating impact on the nation, ranging from economic dislocation, disruption of relationships, a meteoric rise in unemployment , financial hardships on families and businesses, and an inability of many of our citizens to even feed their families.
The Martin Luther King Observance Committee cannot sit idly by and not respond to this crisis, and has decided to use its resources to help mitigate this situation. In addition to our annual scholarship awards and patron donations, the Committee has decided to issue special grants to local groups seeking to provide assistance to families in need. In this regard, the committee has sent contributions to:
- The Table of Hope, which recently purchase a school bus to facilitate its food distribution communities in Morris County.
- The Community Food Bank of New Jersey, which has partnered with Cornerstone Family Programs to distribute food boxes to local families.
- Calvary Baptist Church, which has instituted “Free Lunch Fridays” to provide meals to any resident at no charge during the “shelter in place” period.
- Interfaith Food is a community of “neighbors helping neighbors” committed to ending hunger, supporting self-sufficiency, and inspiring confidence and hope to Morris County families in need.
The Committee invites others to join us in this effort to support our families in these tenuous and precarious times. We are in this together, and together we will prevail.
