JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Hundreds of volunteers in Jacksonville celebrated the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Monday with a day on -- not a day off.
Volunteers participated in dozens of service projects to benefit the community in the Day of Service sponsored by the United Way.
The morning started with a pep rally led by the Jacksonville Jaguars D-Line.
Hundreds of volunteers traveled downtown for the Hubcap Flower Project.
"I didn't realize we were going to be painting hubcaps like flowers," volunteer Edgar Derricho said.
The finished products will be placed around blighted areas downtown and vacant lots to create neighborhood beautification.
"We always want to mirror how MLK viewed people. He always helped people -- a true servant of the people,” Derricho said. “Any way that we can, we want to give back."
The volunteers then made their way to Arlington, where families lined up for a food giveaway at the Woodland Acres Community Center.
“We drop the food from our refrigerated trucks into a community where there's a food desert," Feeding Northeast Florida director Michelle McGriff said.
Volunteers took it a step further and started a renovation project inside the community center, taking down wallpaper and ripping up old carpet.
"At the end of the day, they need boots on the ground and seeing this many folks out here is outstanding," James Coggins, with LISC Jacksonville, said.
Organizers said the work seen during MLK Day of Service goes to show how much help the community really needs. Feeding NEFL said they are in desperate need of volunteers to help get their food together at warehouses so they can distribute it to families.
Click here to learn more about Feeding Northeast Florida.