Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson and staff volunteered at the Master’s Table Soup Kitchen, Monday morning, for the Office of the Mayor’s second annual Day of Service to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“We believe strongly that community is all about the sacrifice that Dr. King made, so that we can have equality in this great country,” said Johnson, who with several members of his office staff served meals at the Golden Harvest Food Bank’s soup kitchen on Fenwick Street.
The Augusta Mayor collaborated with Project Refresh, the nonprofit organization which provides mobile showers for the homeless, as well as the Medical College of Georgia and the Dental College of Georgia, to attend to those in need.
Alongside hot meals, recipients could receive dental and healthcare screenings including blood sugar and blood pressure checks, showers, hygiene kits and warm new clothes.
The mayor noted the pervasive issue of homelessness in the city, saying it “plagues city in the United States,” and that the Day of Service can help draw attention to the matter by “[sharing] some humanity, some love” to those experience homelessness, “whether it be from substance abuse, or just down on your luck.”
LaDonna Doleman, who manages the Master’s Table, coordinated the service, instructing volunteers in between expressing gratitude for those who shared time, funds or effort.
“Every meal matters, every guest matters, every child matters… every donator and agency matters, and each and every family matters,” Doleman said, exhorting the volunteers before service began at 11 a.m. “And we are changing lives every day.”
The Master’s Table serves between 300 and 400 guests every day, 365 days a year, said Golden Harvest CEO Amy Breitman, citing an increase in people asking for assistance, particularly families with children.
“I think Dr. Martin Luther King was all about action… So I think that’s what today is about, not just saying the words,” said Breitman, stressing the importance of volunteers, averaging about 30 a month, to the organization’s operations. “They’re showing up to actually serve our viewers with a servant’s heart.”
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
