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Volunteers Work To Help Others On MLK Day

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., hundreds of volunteers off of work or school today are helping with service projects.

This day off was a day on for more than 500 volunteers.

They all registered to work on 25 different service projects in more than a dozen neighborhoods across the region.

"We are in Braddock, Duquesne, about 15 different neighborhoods in the City of Pittsburgh, the North Side, we are on the West End, we are all over," Jeremy Martin from Habitat for Humanity said.

After breakfast, the volunteers traveled to places like senior and community centers and churches for a wide range of projects.

The effort was organized by Habitat for Humanity of Greater Pittsburgh as a way to get people involved and most importantly, to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"We believe that if we are able to engage these 500 people, maybe they will spread the word about Habitat and just make the community a little bit better," Martin said.

About 100 volunteers were assigned to a food bank in Duquesne.

Many said the work is just one small way to give back and recognize a man who changed the nation.

"Martin Luther King, something like him, it's really difficult to find in this world, he did a great job," Uma Gautam said.

"It's very important because a lot of people can sleep in today and everyone decided to get up at 6, 7 a.m. and drive out to Duquesne and work," Jared Pascoe said.

This is the second year Habitat for Humanity has held a day of service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Organizers hope to grow the event even more in the years to come.

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