HAMBURG, N.Y. (WKBW) — Instead of taking the day off, students at Hamburg High School joined community volunteers to honor Martin Luther King Jr. through service, collecting donations to support FeedMore Western New York.
The annual MLK Day of Service food drive brought together students of all ages, families and community members who spent Monday morning sorting and gathering food to help neighbors facing food insecurity.
For students like Jacob, the experience meant more than sorting food. He spent the day alongside members of his family, learning the importance of helping others.
"I was with my mom, my uncle, my aunt — a bunch of them," said Jacob.
WATCH: 'Always nice to give back': Hamburg students participate in annual food drive for MLK Day
FeedMore WNY partnered with several organizations, including the Hamburg Central School District and Frontier Central School District, for its annual MLK Day of Service initiative.
Hamburg High School student Maddie Evaldi, president of the school’s Academy of Finance program, said the event gives students a meaningful way to support their community.
"I think it's really important because it's always nice to give back to the community, collecting food for people that may not know when their next meal is," Evaldi said.
Evaldi said this year's goal was to collect nearly 15,000 pounds of food, with help from more than 100 volunteers.
"It's really nice to give back to the community," she said. "Being here with friends, you can feel it's all smiles and laughter, knowing we're here for a bigger reason than just being here on our day off."
Josh Haeick, Hamburg recreation supervisor and basketball coach, said the drive has been growing for 15 years and remains special because of the dedication shown by young volunteers.
"How many high school, middle school and elementary kids do you see getting up at 6 a.m. on MLK Day to come out and serve their community?" Haeick said. "That's what makes this so unique."
All items donated will be distributed by FeedMore Western New York to its partner agencies across Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties.
