City officials honor MLK by helping the homeless

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Augusta’s new mayor led the effort to make the celebration of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King into a day of service.

Volunteers from the University of Georgia Alumni Association worked with Project Refresh to help provide for the homeless.

We went to see King’s mission and the group’s mission coincide on this day.

Today, dozens of volunteers from Georgia alumni to the mayor, assisted at the master’s table and project refresh to help those in our area experiencing homelessness.

Each person who came through was given a grab bag of shampoo, conditioner, clothing items such as shoes, hats, gloves.

Mayor Garrett Johnson who was an organizer of the event, and says that Doctor King’s life was built on providing service to others, so what better way to honor him in this way.

“Luxury that we take for granted every day, the simpleness of a shower. You have people on this cold day come up with everything they own, to step into a portable trailer to shower and only given 15 minutes not only shower, but to change and, and not have the ability to do it in the privacy like us in our homes. It just it’s just an eye opening experience for me to witness,” Mayor Johnson says.

“It’s hard, it’s not easy. It’s really hard to be on the streets,” Ray Charles Brown, an Augusta mans says.

A day to make it easier, with helping hands in honor of Doctor King, who’s famous for lending one.

Victoria Hammond, volunteer, says, “He wanted it to not be just one day. He wanted it to be throughout the year, throughout the years.”

Jesse McClam, volunteer, says, “There’s always just a need. that’s pretty much where it comes down to. We have people out here that are just in need of food, in need of water.”

Something you find in your home.... but a gift to those who don’t have one..

“I just want to get back inside where I can begin taking care of myself, seriously. I play music, I’m an artist. Man, I can’t do this out here, but I put myself in this position, and I don’t blame nobody, but its up to me to get out of it,” Brown says.

More than 75 volunteers took on shifts at the masters table and helped with project refresh to provide hygiene kits and hot meals.

The Golden Harvest Food bank recorded more than 200 people experiencing homelessness stopped by the masters table.

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