BILLINGS — Volunteering serves an important purpose for communities, which is why organizations gathered in the MSU-Billings Student Glacier Room to give back and make a meaningful impact on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Dozens of volunteers gathered to assemble sandwiches and snack bags for multiple local aid organizations focused on helping food insecurity. United Way of Yellowstone County, with the assistance of the MSU-Billings Student United Way, organized the event to promote volunteerism and bring the community together.
“I am actually very lucky that we have Student United Way and all the clubs that we have here so I can actually have the privilege to help my surroundings and anyone I can," said Nartach Garayeva, president of the Student United Way. “I feel like it's so empowering that you can make a little bit of change in someone else's life."
Alongside food preparation, members of JustServe.org, a website that helps connect volunteers with opportunities, made several sleeping mats out of recycled plastic bags.
“It's a mat that can be placed on the ground that helps at least prevent the hypothermia if they are out in the cold and maybe bed bugs, lice, and help them keep them off the ground a little bit," said Lynnadele Nielson, a specialist with JustServe.
Local organizations benefiting from the event included Family Promise, Tumbleweed, St. Vincent de Paul, Montana Rescue Mission, Off the Streets, and Wander Woman. The donations are vital during the harsh winter months, something Shay Reiser, founder of Wander Woman, knows greatly impacts the people she serves.
“It was negative 26 with the wind chill when I got up today and there are unfortunately still people living outside," said Reiser.
Founded in 2021, Wander Woman provides clothing and 50 to 80 meals a month to the homeless population in Billings. Reiser also works for Montana Legal Services with the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project and leads Rainbow Coffee House, a teen LGBTQ group drop-in center. Through Monday's event, Reiser's organization received 100 sandwiches and additional clothing donations.
“Just whatever we can give them to help them stay dry and stay alive is much needed and much appreciated," said Reiser.
The volunteer effort was a day to remember the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose legacy of community service remains relevant today, especially as food insecurity continues to rise.
“That's what Martin Luther King was about. He was about bringing community together, and when you come together to serve, it just strengthens our community,” said Nielson.
By addressing these problems head-on, Reiser and other organizers hope to make a lasting difference that would honor Dr. King's life and mission.
“We should all strive to do more in our communities. I think if we did our world would just be a lot better place if we took a day like today and worked together and make food and give to people who do not have," said Reiser.
