Martin Luther King Jr. Day 1.15.24

A Day of Service to Remember

Martin Luther King Jr. believed “that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits.” With this powerful message in mind, Foundation team members spent the day volunteering with OceanFirst Bank’s WaveMaker volunteers at the Riverdale Y and meeting with leadership from the Bronx based Friendly Fridge Foundation. 

It was a record-setting day for the Y’s Rise Against Hunger event. WaveMakers and community members from the Riverdale neighborhood packed over 20,000 bags of ready to go meals. WaveMakers in training, Sophia and Louis, also turned out to support the event working beside their moms, Elize and Michelle representing the Riverdale branch.  

The day wrapped up with a visit to The Friendly Fridge Foundation to learn about their grassroots work to reduce food waste, provide nutritious meals and fresh produce to neighbors, and provide other connections to support services from their “friendly fridge” located on a sidewalk in the heart of the neighborhood.

We love to highlight neighborhood initiatives that are having a positive impact within the communities we serve, so if you have a program to share, please reach out to Stephanie Toal and maybe you’ll be featured next!