TAMPA, Fla. — Martin Luther King Jr. Day is all about honoring the life and legacy of the civil rights leader. But, it's also the only federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service, calling Americans to make lasting change in their communities. 

What You Need To Know

  • Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the only federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service

  • On Saturday, organizations around Tampa gave back to the community in a number of ways

  • A couple hundred volunteers cleaned up McKay Bay Nature Park

  • Residents also helped support Meals on Wheels and the Teaching Tools for Hillsborough Schools program

On Saturday, organizations around Tampa came together to give back to the community in a number of ways. At McKay Bay Nature Park, nearly 300 volunteers cleaned up debris, trash and trimmed branches to help make the park safer.

The organization Learn and Serve Tampa, which aims to get more kids involved in service, hosted the cleanup alongside The City of Tampa Parks and Recreation Department, The Mission Continues and Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful.

Kristy Verdi, executive director of Learn and Serve Tampa, said Dr. King’s commitment to social justice has always resonated with her and she hoped to share that with community members. 

“The greater message for our young people is this is what community looks like and this is what we can do and that was a part of his message,” Verdi said. “He called it the beloved community. We have to come together and care for it.”

Community service has always been part of Cassandra Decker’s life. Every year, she volunteers as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service. 

“It’s an opportunity to get out and to have those discussions about bettering our community,” Decker said.

Organizers of Saturday’s cleanup picked McKay Bay Park because they said it’s often an underserved part of Tampa, tucked away in an industrial area just below the Selmon Expressway.

“When you look at places like this area, I actually lived in Ybor for two years and I didn’t even know this area existed,” Decker said. “So, I think there’s also an important conversation about barriers of access to locations.”

Volunteers included members of community organizations, veterans and kids, including 10-year-old Ean Griffin. 

“You get to pick up all the trash and a bunch of other stuff as well,” Griffin said. “It’s really fun of a process. Even when hard work is done, it still feels like fun.”

Griffin came with his mother, Angela Lawrence, who wanted to show her son the meaning of service and honor Dr. King’s legacy by working to better the community. 

“It means a lot to be here this weekend,” she said. “We’ve met a lot of people today and it just feels good to be able to meet people, talk to people and continue with the strength and what he stood for.”

In other parts of the city, residents helped out in the kitchen with Meals on Wheels and made sure children in need have access to free school supplies through the Teaching Tools for Hillsborough Schools program.