Above: Zola Bandoh, and brothers Callum and Niko O’Keefe, helped to pack backpacks with toiletries, snacks and thermal clothing on Monday in the Dorchester YMCA. Seth Daniel photo
More than a decade ago, Dorchester’s June Handy wanted to honor the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., not with a breakfast or an event, but with action.
For 12 years now, she’s been doing just that in serving the homeless in Boston with an MLK Day of Service project that, with a dedicated group of volunteers, has traveled from her apartment to a church basement to its current home at the Dorchester YMCA on Washington Street.
June Handy and Brinda Tahiliani share a hug during the MLK Day of Service event in the Dorchester YMCA on Monday. Handy has coordinated the event for 12 years and Tahiliani and her family have been dedicated volunteers every year. Seth Daniel photo
Nearly 100 volunteers gathered on Monday to fill backpacks with toiletries, thermal clothing, snacks, and other essentials to be handed out to homeless persons throughout Boston. Boxes of toiletries, diapers, clothing and other items were packed together by volunteers to go out to smaller homeless shelters in the community.
All backpacks and boxes were delivered by end of day Monday, said Handy.
Several volunteers gathered for a photo while taking a break from getting boxes and backpacks ready for delivery on Monday. Seth Daniel photo
“The goal of this service is to create packs for people on the street and boxes for people in shelters,” she said. “I started this in my apartment with a small group and now the Dorchester Y lets me use this space for free the last four or five years.
“I didn’t really see any community service projects at the time,” she continued. “While I saw breakfasts and events talking about MLK, I didn’t see action. I felt he was a person of service and action, and I wanted to do this kind of event with a variety of ages – young kids, teens, and adults – coming together to serve the community.”
A theatre teacher at Charlestown High School, Handy has a devoted crew of volunteers ready to make a difference every year on MLK Day – including Brinda Tahiliani whose family has participated every year.
“We have come every year, and our kids now look forward to it,” she said. “It’s tradition and service.”
Volunteers held to assemble items to pack in boxes that will be delivered to small homeless shelters in the area. Seth Daniel photo
Jordan Dickson and Tone Baker, of the Agrarian Society, gather up toiletries and other items to pack into boxes as part of the MLK Day of Service hosted by June Handy and the Dorchester YMCA. Seth Daniel photo
