Page 14 The Skanner Portland & Seattle January 16, 2019
Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
MLK Events
1,500 Volunteers to Honor King’s
Legacy Throughout Weekend
To honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy,
United Way of the Columbia-Willamette and partners
will be mobilizing nearly 2,000 volunteer opportuni-
ties across 73 community projects as part of the 12th
Annual MLK Weekend of Service.
The event is presented by Regence BlueCross Blue-
Shield of Oregon and supported by Bank of Ameri-
ca, Comcast, Daimler Trucks North America, Intel,
JPMorgan Chase, Umpqua Bank, Dunn Carney, with
special thanks to U.S. Bank.
From sprucing up libraries and school gardens
to sorting books for kids to packaging donated food
for families in need, MLK Weekend of Service offers
countless opportunities for community members to
give back and help build Dr. King’s vision throughout
the Portland metro region.
• The event runs from Friday, January 18 through
Monday, January 21 with volunteer projects each
day.
• The event is organized by United Way’s volunteer
program, Hands On Greater Portland.
• MLK Weekend of Service is an integral part of
United Way of the Columbia-Willamette’s 10-year
agenda focused on reducing childhood poverty and
advancing racial equity.
• Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler will be volunteering
on MLK Day, Monday January 21:
–SOLVE: Clean up MLK Blvd // 1 pm-4 pm // Loca-
tion: Irving Park 707 NE Fremont St, Portland
Quotes:
• “It’s an honor for our employees to work hand in hand
with volunteers across our state in celebration of Dr.
King and his legacy of service. Regence was founded in
the spirit of neighbors helping neighbors. To see that
spirit come alive this past weekend in partnership
with United Way and Hands on Greater Portland is
incredibly gratifying.” – Angela Dowling, President
of Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon
• “Each year, our MLK Weekend of Service is a tangible
way for thousands of people to make real Dr. King’s
vision of a ‘beloved community’ by volunteering at
over seventy projects across the region. The impact,
for dozens of nonprofits and tens of thousands of kids
and families is real, and the bond it creates last well
beyond the weekend itself.” – Keith Thomajan, Presi-
dent and CEO of United Way of the Columbia-Willa-
mette
Details, days and times are below.
Friday: January 18:
• Albina Coop Gardening and Farming Day: help
weed, compost and prune Albina’s urban farm. 10
a.m. -11 a.m., Corner of Russell St and Vancouver
Ave near Flint St on Legacy Emanuel Hospital prop-
erty
• Meals on Wheels People: Work with kitchen staff
on food production and assembly. 10 am-11 am, Cen-
tral Kitchen (7710 SW 31st Ave. Portland, 97219)
• Habitat for Humanity (Clark County): Help orga-
nize certain areas of the store. 10:30 am-12:30 pm,
10811 SE 2nd St, Vancouver, WA
• Dress for Success: Sort and inspect clothing dona-
tions. 11 am-noon, 1532 B NE 37th Ave.
• United Way of the Columbia-Willamette: bundle
STEM kits for our Early Learning Multnomah pro-
gram, 1 pm-3 pm, United Way of the Columbia-Wil-
lamette - 619 SW 11th Ave.
• Growing Gardens: Seed sorting and winter tool
prep. 1:30 pm-3:30 pm, 2203 NE Oregon St.
• Oregon Food Bank: Sort and repack food. 1:30 pm-3
pm, Portland Volunteer Action Center: 7900 NE
33rd Dr.
• The Children’s Book Bank: Sort, spruce up and bun-
dle community donated books for children. 1:30
pm-2:30 pm, 1915 NE 7th AVE. Portland, OR 97217
• My New Red Shoes: Pack shoes and make and dec-
orate cards for local students. 2 pm-3 pm, Hillsdale
Library Community Room 1525 SW Sunset Blvd,
Portland, OR 97239
Saturday: January 19:
• The Children’s Book Bank: Sort, spruce up and bun-
dle community donated books for children. 10 am-
11 am, 1915 NE 7th AVE. Portland, OR 97217
• Oregon Food Bank: Sort and repack food for low-in-
come families. 9:30 am-11 am, Portland Volunteer
Action Center: 7900 NE 33rd Dr. Portland 97211
• Habitat for Humanity: Build homes for low-income
families. 1 pm-3:30 pm, Denney Gardens: 9845 SW
Denney Rd, Beaverton, OR 97008
Monday: January 21:
• Bink-A-Thon 2019: Make blankets for children. 9:30
am-1:30 pm, Village Baptist Church, 330 SW Mur-
ray Blvd, Beaverton, OR 97005
• Spruce up Hillsboro Public Library: Clean and tidy
children’s books. 9:30 am-11:30 am, Brookwood
Library branch: 2850 NE Brookwood Pkwy, Hills-
boro, OR 97124
• IRCO Gilbert Park SUN Elementary School: Clean
up garden. 10:30 am-12:30 pm, 13132 SE Ramona St.
Portland, OR 97236
• Oregon Humane Society: Socialize with cats and
dogs. 1:30 pm-2:30 pm, 8001 NE 14th Place, Portland
• Spruce up Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School. 1:30
pm-2:30 pm, 4815 NE 7th Ave. Portland 97211
• P:ear: Cook meals & tidy up for homeless youth, 1:30
pm-3:30 pm, 338 NW 6th Ave Portland, OR 97209
• SOLVE: Clean up MLK Blvd (Confirmed Portland
Mayor Ted Wheeler), 1 pm-4 pm, Irving Park 707
NE Fremont St, Portland, OR 97212
Each of these projects will have a United Way staff
member or Volunteer Leader available onsite to an-
swer questions. If you need more information prior
to the event, or if you know that your media outlet
will be attending one of the projects, please call Kris-
ten Lambert at United Way (contact info listed above).
For a full list of volunteer activities throughout the
weekend, please visit: www.unitedway-pdx.org/mlk.
See EVENTS on page 16