TOLEDO, Ohio — In honor of Martin Luther King Junior Day on Monday, WTOL 11 reached out to central Toledo's MLK Kitchen for the Poor where, with the help of volunteers, they have spent decades feeding people.
Harvey Savage Jr.'s family started the kitchen back in 1969.
It has moved a few of times in the ensuing years but now calls Vance St. home.
"All of us actually have grown up as a part of this community. I was born here. It's just great to see people willing to reach out and do to others," said Savage.
Brenda Reed is one of the volunteers and longtime friend of the Savage's. She said she has been around the kitchen for years.
She says it's been a place where the friends she's made have turned into her family.
Once she retired, she started to help out more.
"I've been volunteering about 7 or 8 years, but I have been affiliated with the kitchen since 1970 off and on," said Reed.
This kitchen is full of memories for Reed, and she wants others to be able to come in and create their own.
"I have a sense of pride since I have known about the kitchen and to be able to come back here and help. Makes me feel proud," she said.
Sadly, throughout the years Reed has noticed a trend of more people in need of help versus more people looking to help.
For that reason she says the kitchen needs more volunteers.
"Everything is so high, the people that work they even need the help," she said in regard to the current economy.
But no matter the need, Reed said she is ready for the kitchen to prepare hundreds of meals to serve the community for MLK day on Monday with hopes of everything going smoothly as planned.
"Cooking the food and passing it out to people. They need help doing things. There's only so much one person can do," said Reed.
The kitchen will be holding a service Monday at 10 a.m. at Losalem Church next door.
Afterwards there will be a symbolic march and then the kitchen will host its meal service. These events are free and open to the public.