More than 1,000 volunteers spent their Martin Luther King Jr. Day giving back to the community at Feeding Tampa Bay, sorting produce and packing hygiene products for families in need."Today is obviously Martin Luther King Jr. Da y, and we think there's no better way for us to celebrate his legacy than action, and action is service and service is volunteering," said one volunteer.Throughout the Bay Area, non-profit groups honored the lasting legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by partnering with major companies for a day of action.As the late congressman John Lewis put it, MLK Day is a day on, not a day off. In the spirit of how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lived his life, Anne Arthur decided to spend MLK Day by giving back."We wanted to make a difference and be actionable on Martin Luther King Day," Arthur said.Arthur works with Delta Airlines as part of their diversity, equity, and inclusion council, but on MLK Day, their office became Feeding Tampa Bay. Delta partnered with United Way Suncoast to make the volunteer event happen."Within the Tampa area we actually, as part of our reservations department, we're all work at home agents, so this is an opportunity for us to get together in person and see each other and bond as well as just catch up on what's going on in your day to day lives that we don't see every day in the office, but then also being able to give back," Arthur said.Ellen Hochschwender, United Way Suncoast's Director of Corporate Philanthropy, explained how significant this volunteer day is for the organization."We are so grateful to be partnering with Feeding Tampa Bay today and throughout the year to mobilize the community to give back in volunteering, and today there are over 1,000 volunteers here today at Feeding Tampa Bay, some of whom have volunteered through the United Way Suncoast," Hochschwender said."It just promotes the values that Dr. King taught throughout his life and the values that he lived, and so we are hoping to further those values in partnership with organizations like Feeding Tampa Bay, and there are active volunteers in the community who are giving back not only today but throughout the ye,ar and it's important," Hochschwender said.MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service, inspiring people to think of others on their day off."It's a day off for some, but it should be a day on, and that's why we wanted to be here in order to make sure that we're here, we're giving back to the community, we're representing, and then we're enjoying ourselves at the same time," Arthur said.Arthur encouraged others to try volunteering, saying it's rewarding to make a difference in the community."It's a way of being able to feel positive about being making a difference and doing something. You could be at home watching television. You could be just hanging out, you know, playing on a video game, but this is a couple of hours of your time in order to just come and make a difference, and you get to see all these other people around also making a commitment to our community," Arthur said.United Way Suncoast coordinates volunteer opportunities year-round beyond MLK Day, including feeding programs, assistance for those experiencing homelessness, and education programs focusing on early learners and children preparing for kindergarten."American Red Cross, name any organization in the community cannot function without volunteers, and people are so generous in giving of their time, talent, and treasure," Hochschwender said. Hochschwender noted that many adults brought their children to volunteer, which "starts that lifetime of volunteering and instills those values at a very young age."Those interested in volunteering can visit the United Way Suncoast website to sign up and choose the day, time, and place they'd like to volunteer.Many volunteers said there's no better way to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. than through service to others. ...read more read less