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Organizers cancel Decatur’s 2021 MLK Service Project due to COVID-19

Decatur Metro ATL

Organizers cancel Decatur’s 2021 MLK Service Project due to COVID-19

Volunteers Austin Robertson and Kelli Harman (pictured) clean up debris at a Decatur home during the MLK Service Project. Photo by Greta Reynolds
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Decatur, GA — The MLK Service Project isn’t happening in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a press release from the city.

The annual service project, which started in 2003, rallies hundreds of community volunteers to repair homes throughout the city on Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend. The goal is to help seniors stay in their homes by providing free repairs.

But those seniors also are among the most susceptible to COVID-19. Organizers hope to bring the project back in 2022.

In related news, Paul Mitchell is stepping down as the MLK Service Project Chair after serving 10 years in that role. He’s been a volunteer since 2003. Mitchell said in a press release that the cancelation of this year’s project provided an “opportune time” to hand that role over to someone else.

“I have loved working on this project and working with the leadership team and all the other great folks to help Decatur’s seniors,” Mitchell said in a press release. “It has been a labor of love for me and has brought me a tremendous amount of satisfaction and enjoyment.”

Anyone interested in helping with the MLK Service Project — including providing help with planning, logistics, and grant writing — is encouraged to contact interim chair Mark Sanders at [email protected] or 678-992-9194 or Lee Ann Harvey at [email protected] or 770-652-8593.

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