Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s idea of helping the less fortunate is alive and well. He constantly preached about helping the poor and impoverished. 

"This is the largest day of service for Martin Luther King,” said Mark Spadafore, the VP of the Greater Syracuse Labor Council.

Monday, many people across New York took that message to heart. Instead of relaxing on the holiday, they helped out non-profits like United Way of Central New York at the Southwest Community center in Syracuse or getting a lesson in poverty at the Southern Tier Food Bank in Elmira.

"Martin Luther King’s idea of helping others out, putting others first, at least for this particular day… you know, it'd be great to carry it throughout the year, but at least for today, we can do that," said Bill Gilbert, a volunteer from the Corning Museum Of Glass.

"When we think about what Dr. King wanted us to do, he certainly didn't want us to spend the day playing, as opposed to serving," said Nancy Kern Eaton, the President of United Way of Central New York.

Approximately 200 people registered to help at the Southern Tier Food Bank. They packed bags of food and simulated the hardships of the less fortunate.

"MLK Day, we've packaged as an oppurtunity to come learn and serve," said Natasha Thompson, the President & CEO Food Bank of the Southern Tier.

United Way of Central New York also saw its share of volunteers, who made sandwiches and delivered them all throughout Onondaga County. They also collected coats and hygienic products.

"We in this community have come together to make sure that we're honoring his legacy and also doing what we do all year long, which is take care of folks," said Nancy Kern Eaton, President of United Way of Central New York.

If you’d like to volunteer for either organization, you can follow these links: For the Southern Tier Food Bank, https://www.foodbankst.org/volunteer, or for United Way of Central New York, http://unitedway-cny.org/volunteer/.