[vc_media_grid grid_id=”vc_gid:1484771122717-3eadb24e-7bd9-6″ include=”12869,12864,12862,12863,12861,12859,12870,12865,12868,12866,12860,12867″]Gulfport came out in force to participate in the town’s third annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Saturday, January 14, with over 13 teams executing myriad community service projects. Dozens of non-team related volunteers also assisted or provided moral support including all Gulfport city councilmembers. The New Horizons Band, Stella’s restaurant and the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), all of Gulfport, provided free music and food-related items. Gulfport Councilmember Yolanda Roman emceed the greeting and call-to-action ceremonies that were held at the Tomlinson Lake Park Complex located at the corners of 19th Avenue S. and 54th Street S.
This day is “very significant for the community in order to drive home the message that every day can be a service day to help others,” said Margarete Tober, leader of Gulfport Neighbors, the local community service organization that played a large role in the in the day’s events. The Neighbors had “four projects going on: (1) registration for the day of service; (2) the cleanup of Gulfport Beach; (3) installation of the Little Free Pantry next to the city’s fire station; and, (4) working with the fire department to install a swing set at the home of a needy child. The firefighters donated their personal money to pay for the swing set,” said Tober.
