Martin Luther King Day Giveaway Set for January 16

Anyone in Dorchester County, Maryland, can receive free food and clothing from noon to 3:30 p.m. January 16 at the Empowerment Center on Pine Street in Cambridge. The fourth annual Martin Luther King giveaway is sponsored by the Pine Street Committee (PSC), Dorchester Elks Lodge 223, and the New Revived United Methodist Church (NRUMC) of Smithfield. PSC treasurer Octavene Saunders has been the coordinator of the event since its inception.

Free homemade soups and desserts made by NRUMC members will be available. Clothing has come in from county citizens, with several coats having been donated by a local business man. Those wanting to make additional donations should call 410-901-1397.

"I've been working with this program for four years, and it is really heartwarming to see that we are able to help people to have a decent coat or meal, and the joy that you see on their faces when those that don't have those things are offered them," said PSC vice president and lodge member Jimmy Cornish.

"I just like to try to help wherever I can, donating clothes and time and whatever else," said Derek Wongus, another lodge member who is part of the PSC board.

"I'm at a point in my life where I would like to try to help people more, those less fortunate than me. Over the years of my life I have been blessed by God tremendously, so I would like to share that with other people," he said.

Also on the board is Dorchester Elks Lodge 223 Exalted Ruler Carlton W. Stanley who said, "In my later years, and my being so much involved in the community, I really see the need for the help. The Pine Street Committee is here to help, not just the local community, but all of Dorchester County. The need is not just local here in Cambridge."

"Most of us have clothes we have not worn in three years. You would be surprised at what the clothing you'd bring in would do for some of these people that are homeless. The average person in Cambridge and Dorchester County does not have a clue about the need that is in this county," he said.

He continued, "I have been planning for this. I have shirts that I have worn only one time that have been cleaned and starched that I am going to give away. I don't need those shirts. Someone else needs those shirts. That is why I am more than enthused to help with this project."