ABOUT US
The
"Yes Montgomery Can!" campaign was initiated as a response to the desperate plight of many of Montgomery County’s most needy families and individuals.
The long weekend of January 17-20, 2009 marks a coming together of events that creates an extraordinary opportunity for those of us committed to enriching the civic culture of our community, expanding Montgomery County’s tradition of philanthropy, and meeting the needs of our most vulnerable neighbors. Monday January 19, 2009 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a day that has increasingly become a day of service in Montgomery County and across the country. Tuesday January 20, 2009, is Inauguration Day, a day that will bring to the Presidency a leader who has issued a remarkably clear and compelling call to service and sacrifice. These days come at a time of economic unrest and suffering unmatched in nearly eight decades. Montgomery County’s historic commitment to people in need has seldom been as tested as it is today. Our national safety net is frayed, our local fiscal situation is perilous, and the number of County residents in pain and economic hardship grows by the day.
Virtually all indicators of poverty and financial pain are skyrocketing in our community:
- At the Manna Food Center, requests for canned food were 56% higher in November 2008 than the same month in 2007.
- During the first three months of 2007, there were 183 foreclosures in Montgomery County. During the same period in 2008, there were 1,646 foreclosures.
- Requests for assistance with utility payments have increased from 7,828 to 9,043 in the last year and winter has just arrived.
- Requests for food stamps have grown from 16,000 to 27,000 this year.
- Child Welfare Services in Montgomery County reports the number of child neglect cases has increased in the last three months by 65% over the same period in 2007. Many are the result of inadequate food and housing.
The
"Yes Montgomery Can!" campaign is recruiting organizations and individuals interested in being part of a major mobilization of volunteers to help our neighbors in need during the long Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend of Service & Sacrifice.
"Please join the Yes Montgomery Can! team. Many of our neighbors are experiencing tough times. Each one of us can lend a helping hand. By working together, we can show the power of a caring community right here in Montgomery County." - County Executive Ike Leggett
King Day of Service: A Day ON, Not a Day OFF!
"During the 1950s and ’60s, civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. recognized the power of service to strengthen communities and achieve common goals. Initiated by Congress in 1994, King Day of Service builds on that that legacy by transforming the federal holiday honoring Dr. King into a national day of community service grounded in his teachings of nonviolence and social justice. The aim is to make the holiday a day ON, where people of all ages and backgrounds come together to improve lives, bridge social barriers, and move our nation closer to the ‘Beloved Community’ that Dr. King envisioned. With thousands of projects planned across the country, the 2009 King Day of Service on January 19 promises to be the biggest and best ever!" - Martin Luther King, JR. Day of Service Website
For more information about the King Day of Service, please go to:
www.mlkday.org
