From book drives to free lunches: A look at MLK day of service across Palm Beach County

Monday may have been a "day off" for thousands across Palm Beach County in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but for volunteers and festival organizers, it was the ultimate "day on" serving the community and organizing events to honor the civil rights leader on the 94th anniversary of his birth.

About 400 volunteers gathered at West Palm Beach's Currie Park on Monday morning to pack lunches and toiletry bags for people experiencing homelessness. The Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County partnered with Palm Beach Atlantic University to supply and pack 1,600 kits throughout the morning, according to event organizer Melissa Hudson.

DJ, a 31-year-old West Palm Beach native, was a recipient of kits packed by the volunteers. He said he has been experiencing homelessness for five years, and did not want to give his last name because not all of his family members know of his housing status.

Hundreds of families visited Sara Sims Park in Boynton Beach Monday for a free community festival. Cheerleaders from Congress Middle School rocked onstage, children erupted in laughter in an inflatable bounce house, and local food trucks served up ice pops, tacos and cajun bites.

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DJ said the toiletries in the kit will last him up to five weeks. He tries to pack light and keep things close to him as he finds safe places to rest downtown.

"You lose a lot of stuff out here," he said, recalling times his belongings were destroyed by rain or stolen. "It’s always good to see this kind of event where it’s open and the people are friendly and you can talk to them."

DJ found out about the kit distribution event through friends at St. Anne's Catholic Church. He said the cold snap over the weekend made life chaotic for him because he was scared he would get sick.

Nathan Chau, Palm Beach Atlantic University's director of the volunteer service program called Workship, who helped put on the event, said serving the community alongside people of other faiths embodies Dr. King's spirit.

"It's so important that different faiths can come together," he said.

He added that reaching out to people experiencing homelessness, poverty, hurricane damage will always come back around to make the world a better place.

"You never know when you’re going to need to be the recipient of service," he said. "We should be helping everyone."

In Boynton, celebration and service mark MLK Day 2023

The festival, held at the corner of Seacrest and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevards, was also an opportunity for more than a dozen community groups to get their message out. Health care groups, student advocacy organizations and city staff departments hosted booths surrounding the stage.

Lesha Roundtree, a third grade teacher and the vice president of the Southern Palm Beach County alumnae chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta, Inc. sorority, gathered with her sisters to host a free book distribution booth dubbed the "Little Delta Library."

Adorned in the sorority's classic bright red and rhinestones, the sorors divided more than 500 books donated by the School District of Palm Beach County and other donors into age-appropriate categories for families to stop by and pick up.

"We ask the kids which grade they're in, what their interests are, and then we have them read a few pages from the book to make sure it's the right fit," Roundtree said. "Literacy is a big issue."

Roundtree pointed to two years of disrupted learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic as a cause of lower literacy rates and reading scores amongst students across the state. As a Boynton Beach native, she hopes that getting more books in kids' hands will help bring them up to speed.

Although the festival did not have an official theme, many programs and performances seemed to speak to the idea that Black youth are the way forward for the dreams of Dr. King.

"We thank these young people for coming out here today," the showcase's emcee boomed into the microphone over the audience with a smile. "They are the way our dreams will become the realities of our future."

MLK Day events around Palm Beach County 2023

Here's a running list of events planned around Palm Beach County on Monday.

Did you attend an event to honor Dr. King on Monday? Tell us about it and share your photos at kkokal@pbpost.com.

Boynton Beach

Neighborhood cleanup at and around the Carolyn Sims Center.

• Time: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

• Details: No RSVP required. Cleanup supplies provided, along with coffee and donuts beginning at 8 a.m.

Community festival at Sara Sims Park (209 NW 9th Avenue, Boynton Beach)

• Time: 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

• Details: Free, family-friendly event will feature local performers, live music, history, education, food trucks, children's activities, and nonprofit showcase.

Delray Beach

Community brunch at Indian Spring Country Club

• Time: 10 a.m.

Commemorative Walk starting at Community Center at 50 NW 1st Avenue, Delray Beach

• Time: 1:30 p.m.

Lake Worth Beach

Civil Rights singalong and Candlelight March starting at Lake Worth Beach City Hall

• Time: 4:30 p.m.

• Details: The procession will terminate at the MLK “Ball” Memorial in the Cultural Plaza, M Street and Lake Ave. A brief program will be held there recognizing the accomplishments and unfinished business of Dr. King’s legacy.

West Palm Beach

Volunteers packing toiletry kits for unhoused local residents at Currie Park

• Time: 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

• Details: Hundreds of volunteers of all ages will pack toiletry kits, brown bag lunches to be distributed to the hungry, and school supplies for students at Title 1 schools throughout Palm Beach County.

MLK Solidarity ceremony at Currie Park

• Time: 3:30 p.m.

• Details: Elected officials, along with community leaders and members will gather at the MLK Landmark Memorial next to Currie Park for a meaningful ceremony to honor and commemorate MLK.

• Guests will honor the recipients of the annual Tikkun Olam Awards, presented to outstanding leaders in our community, learn about the Palm Beach County Community Remembrance Project, hear reflections from a recent Civil Rights Journey to Georgia and Alabama, and more.

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Katherine Kokal is a journalist covering education at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at kkokal@pbpost.com. Help support our work, subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: MLK Day events West Palm Beach, Lake Worth, Boynton, Delray 2023