Plenty of Ways to Give Back on MLK Day

Moorestonians who want to honor the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by helping their fellow citizens will have plenty of ways to do it Monday.

For the third year in a row, the Moorestown Ministerium will sponsor a service project at , in which children put together “birthday boxes” for Catholic Charities, a nonprofit social services organization.

The boxes contain festive items like cake mix, frosting, candles, plates, napkins and small gifts—provided by the children—and are distributed by Catholic Charities to its less fortunate clients for birthday celebrations (be it theirs or a loved one’s) at its site in Delanco, said the Rev. Ingrid Wengert, moderator for the Ministerium.

Wengert said the activity is open to the whole community, not just church members. Children under 10 should be accompanied by an adult.

“Over the last few years I’ve been really pleasantly surprised,” the reverend said. “The children, teenagers especially, have been really interested and eager in doing things that help other people. The kids may love technology, they may be on their phones all the time, but they also really care about people.”

Witnessing the enthusiasm of the children, she said, “is motivating to me. It’s motivating to other adults.”

The service project is open to anyone, but parents who wish to register in advance should contact Deacon Leslie Mazzacano at Trinity Episcopal at lmazzacano@trinitymoorestown.org.

Those who want to participate can stop by Trinity between 9-11 a.m. Monday.

Elsewhere Monday, the of will sponsor, in partnership with the Red Cross, a blood drive from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the . To sign up, go to the Red Cross blood donation website and click on “Make A Blood Donation Appointment,” enter sponsor code “02210991,” pick a preferred time and submit.

And from 10 to 11:30 Monday morning, students and staff will participate in service activities including creating birthday party bags for the Devereux Foundation Group Homes, preparing health kits to be delivered to New Visions and Samaritan Hospice, creating scarves for a local women’s shelter, creating Project Linus blankets for hospitalized children and sewing stuffed animals for Samaritan Hospice, as well as participating in diversity games led by Upper School students.

Did we miss your Martin Luther King Jr. Day event or activity? Email local editor Rob Scott at rob.scott@patch.com and he’ll add it here. Also, make sure to add your event to our event calendar (click “Post your own event” under the event listing on the main page of Moorestown Patch) so everyone in the community knows about it.