PHILADELPHIA – Jan. 28, 2022 – Members of global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP’s Philadelphia office fanned across the region and spent hours supporting projects that address various social issues, including food insecurity and literacy, during the 2022 Greater Philadelphia Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.
“Direct social action complements our longstanding commitment to pro bono service,” said Curtis B. Toll, managing shareholder of the Philadelphia office. “As a firm, we proactively seek to address problems and positively impact the communities we serve. We’re proud to affirm those values during this regionwide celebration of a great American champion for equal justice and access for all: Dr. King.”
Lawyers and business staff teamed together at the Share Food Program (Share) warehouse in Hunting Park and helped pack boxes of food destined for food pantries servicing children, families, and seniors – a series of contributions whose assembly-line efforts yielded some 1,300 boxes. Other firm members hopped into their cars and made contactless deliveries to elders across the city, while others volunteered by calling Share clients to help schedule such deliveries.
Meanwhile, advancing literacy was the call of duty for the volunteers who recorded read-aloud sessions for the citywide Read by 4th campaign. As the first law firm in the area to so engage with the organization, this is a continuation of the firm’s multilevel commitment to the campaign. Children and families will be able to easily access the sessions online for free as a tool to help boost lagging literacy rates for early grade learners. Recent statistics from Read by 4th leaders report roughly only 2 in 5 of the city’s students reading with proficiency or mastery by the end of third grade. If corrected, these students would be better positioned for future academic and economic opportunities and success, research holds.
The select election law knowledge of the firm also was on display as part of a closing virtual roundtable reflecting on voting rights issues of King’s time and today, sponsored by Global Citizen 365, the nonprofit and nonpartisan entity that organizes the regionwide King Day of Service. That conversation featured Government Law & Policy Shareholder Kevin Greenberg, U.S. Sen. Robert F. Casey Jr., Pennsylvania State Sen. Vincent Hughes, Philadelphia City Commissioner Omar Sabir, and statewide grassroots organizers.
Launched in Philadelphia some 27 years ago, the King Day of Service draws hundreds of thousands of individuals and corporate citizens alike to service projects and themed events aligned with King’s legacy of fighting civil rights and social justice.
Greenberg Traurig is a sponsor of Global Citizen 365 and its ongoing campaign to declare this holiday a “day on,” rather than just a day off.