Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on display at these North Jersey events

The federal holiday for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. has become known as a day of service.

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, many New Jersey organizations on Monday are carrying on the spirit of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, a federal holiday enacted in 1994 that encouraged communities to commemorate King's memory by making it a "day on, not a day off."

Gov. Phil Murphy said New Jersey honored MLK Day by expanding voter rights with automatic and online voter registration and early voting. He also called on Congress to do the same and restore voting rights for people on probation or parole.

Early Monday morning, runners commemorated the day with a 5K run and memorial service at Metropolitan AME Zion Church in Jersey City, where King spoke the week before he was assassinated.

It was the second annual event where the route took runners along Martin Luther King Drive in Jersey City. Race director Steve Lipski also addressed runners at Metropolitan AME Zion Church during the service, in which a portion of King's "I Have A Dream" speech was played.

Elsewhere, volunteers for Englewood-based Center for Food Action teamed up with area schools to distribute free food to families affected by COVID-19.

The Center for Food Action held five MLK pop-up events in Hackensack, Cliffside Park and Englewood over the weekend.

“If a child is experiencing hunger, chances are hunger exists in the family, too. To honor Dr. King, five distribution sites will distribute boxes of non-perishables and grocery store gift cards to 500 families,” said Patricia Espy, CFA’s executive director. “While these events will be different than our annual snack packing events, they help ensure that no child in our community goes hungry.”

Besides the pop-up events, which required appointments, any resident in need can receive food assistance through appointment-based drive-thru food distributions Monday through Friday. The Center for Food Action has pantries in Englewood, Hackensack, Mahwah, Saddle Brook and Ringwood and at Bergen Community College.

Anyone living in CFA’s service area in Bergen County or northern Passaic County can request an appointment.

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The event is funded through the support of local organizations and businesses including: NJEA of Fort Lee, Trinity Lutheran Church, Community Baptist Church of Englewood, National Council of Jewish Women, Rotary Club of Englewood, Rotary Club of the Palisades, Jen Maxfield Ostfeld and Scott Ostfeld, TD Bank and Visions Federal Credit Union.

Other events on Monday included the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey preparing a communitywide collection of socks for distribution and a drive-thru food collection at Great Falls Youth Center in Paterson from noon to 4 p.m.

At the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, Day of Service efforts collected 10,000 pair of socks for those in need.

“Making time to volunteer for MLK Day of Service is a great way to engage our community while honoring the legacy of Dr. King,” said Ariella Noveck, director of the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey.

Rep. Josh Gottheimer joined Noveck and local volunteers. The JFNNJ sock drive was organized by Shara Nadler, the director of the volunteer department for the federation.

“Today, we honor Dr. King’s incredible life by dedicating ourselves to serving our communities, doing all we can for those in need and speaking out against those who attack our Jersey values,” Gottheimer said.

Jeff Carter, president of the Bergen County chapter of the NAACP, said the pandemic may have limited indoor events in recent times, but there are many opportunities for people to safely participate remotely. Bergen County hosted virtual events to commemorate the day, including a prayer with the Religious Affairs Committee on Sunday.

Several virtual events were also held throughout the day, including the Morristown committee holding a virtual event with a keynote speaker: the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, founder and president of Repairers of the Breach.

Staff Writers Stephanie Noda and Shaylah Brown contributed to this article.

Kristie Cattafi is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: cattafi@northjersey.com

Twitter: @KristieCattafi

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Martin Luther King Day of Service on display at these NJ events