KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There have been lots of work and school closures in Kansas City with below zero temperatures and icy roads over the past two weeks.
It’s left some families making the most of this break from their regular routine.
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The Kansas City Public Library’s Central branch hosted an MLK Day of Service with volunteers from AmeriCorps.
Each library branch spent the last few weeks collecting personal hygiene items. So this week, volunteers came together to pack the items to distribute throughout all library branches.
It was the perfect opportunity for some families to use this snow day for service.
“This is fun,” seven-year-old Maria Elder said. “I had a snow day last Tuesday and Wednesday and Friday, and today.”
Like most of Kansas City, she’s been cooped up at home for a while. This snow day, she tagged along with mom to volunteer at the service event.
“What could we do to help other people enjoy the same quality of life that we do?” another volunteer, Janay Reliford, said.
But these volunteers aren’t just thinking about how this cold feels.
“When I was waiting outside to get in the building, and I saw people outside waiting to get in the library, and that they probably spend more time out in the cold than I do,” Reliford said. “My heart really went out to them.”
They’re thinking about what it means.
“I have a warm home to go to, and a lot of those people probably come to the library to be warm,” she said.
So while their action is simple, the reward makes the snow, slush, and even the salt something for Maria to smile about.
“I like putting stuff in their categories and getting people what they need,” Elder said.
