The new hotel-turned-homeless-shelter in New Castle received some necessary items as part of Martin Luther King Day of Service.
Senator Chris Coons and New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer joined the A. Philip Randolph Institute and Moms Demand Actionto help get donations of food, personal care items and gift cards to residents of the Hope Center in New Castle Monday. The Hope Center opened last month after the County purchased and converted the old Sheraton South hotel along I-95.
Meyer honored two local leaders with the A. Philip Randolph Institute, Nakishia Bailey and Wilson Williams, for their work.
“We all have an obligation, especially during this time of such incredible division, to come together, across racial lines, different gender, different ages, different political viewpoints, to say, how do we work together to make sure the most vulnerable are protected,” Meyer said.
A. Philip Randolph Institute’s donation included grocery store gift cards to give residents more “dignity” and choice, Bailey said.
Coons says this year MLK Day of Service is tied to the inauguration of Joe Biden.
“One of the reasons it’s important that Delaware’s service on Martin Luther King day be particularly robust and engaged and purposeful, is so that the whole country, which is watching to better understand Joe Biden, where he’s from, why he’s got a heart of service, why he’s so connected, and why he’s hopeful about bringing us together,” Coons said. “The answer to that is rooted in the service that you will see up and down the state of Delaware today for Martin Luther King Day.”
Coons also participated in the 9th Annual MLK Cleanup at the Teen Warehouse in Wilmington and the Raising Kings Day of Service through One Village Alliance.
The Teen Warehouse was Kingswood Community Center Executive Director Logan Herring’s idea.
Herring said Monday that several teens helped organize the cleanup event. He says teens, elders, community partners and elected officials came together to clean up streets in the northeast corridor of the city.
“This work that we’re doing today is no different than the work we do any other day,” Herring said. “But really today the focus is on uniting the community. And I think that’s really what our country needs to focus on, is uniting and becoming on one accord, regardless of our political differences or any differences.”
Meyer’s MLK Day schedule included the annual Peace March through Wilmington and a donation drive-through event at Shue-Medill Middle School in Newark.
