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Big Sunday, one of the country’s foremost organizations connecting people through helping and opportunities to volunteer now in its 22nd year, will host its 10th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day New Clothing Collection & Community Breakfast on Monday, Jan. 17 at the Big Sunday headquarters at 6111 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Big Sunday will be back in-person this year for its annual event. This year, to be COVID-safe, the crowd will be kept significantly smaller. However, like always, there will be a block party with volunteers of all ages, races, religions, backgrounds and ethnicities having fun working together to collect, assemble and donate 2,022 new cold-weather clothing kits. Kits will include sweatshirts, hats, scarves, and other warm clothing. New socks and underwear will also be collected and donated.
To be COVID-safe, Big Sunday is only accepting new clothes. Items will be collected in-person, via Big Sunday’s Amazon registry, or via sponsoring kits, which are $25 each.
The new clothing will be provided to dozens of organizations, helping thousands of underserved and grateful people. Big Sunday will also host a community breakfast for all participants. Everyone attending will be invited to take part in Big Sunday’s “Something in Common” photo project, where one and all are asked to meet someone new, and find something that they have in common, and then have their picture taken together. This event will be 100% outside, everyone will be asked to wear a mask, and all attendees 5 and up must be vaccinated and will be asked to provide proof of vaccination. There will also be ways for people of all ages to participate at-home.
The day’s celebration will also include fun arts & craft projects to benefit local nonprofits, Big Sunday’s growing staff-curated Civil Rights Exhibit, and entertainment provided by the Blue Breeze Band. This year, Big Sunday is also introducing the Big Sunday MLK Day Marketplace, spotlighting minority-owned businesses and featuring a diverse array of items for purchase.
“We debated long and hard about whether to be back in person this year – but we are mindful that while some folks are skittish about being with people, others are longing for the connection. And during these very trying and divisive times, this seems more important than ever,” said David Levinson, Big Sunday’s founder and executive director.
Big Sunday has been connecting people with opportunities to help, volunteer and do good works together since 1999. Founded in Los Angeles 22 years ago with just 300 volunteers, Big Sunday has touched over 1 million lives, engaging, empowering and uniting people of every imaginable background all over California, from San Diego to San Francisco, and in more than 20 different states as well as Australia and the UK.
Big Sunday was named by the Points of Light Foundation as one of “10 national nonprofits that are making a tremendous impact on our country’s most critical challenges by mobilizing volunteers…These organizations also demonstrate a collaborative spirit through partnerships with other organizations to help strengthen communities across the nation.”
For more information, to sign up to attend, to help in other ways or to sponsor the event (sponsorships begin at $500), please visit Big Sunday’s 10th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Clothing Collection & Community Breakfast page.
