CLEVELAND — Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day — a day where many people devote their time to community service.

Shaker Heights Councilmember Ifeolu Claytor said he is calling on young people to complete an act of service in honor of the day. 

“Well, one easy way to get involved [Monday] is to collect some canned good items and take them to a Little Free Pantry. Or, if there’s a food bank nearby — a lot of times churches will accept food,” Claytor said.

Claytor was recently elected to council and is one of the youngest city officials. He said there are easy and practical ways that people can join in on the action, including activities that can also appeal to the younger demographic. 

“A lot of friends of mine will have, like, a party, and make sandwiches, or make lunches to give out to people on the street, especially some of my friends who live downtown, they do that regularly,” Claytor said. “But, also, you can just put together some clothes, collect some clothes. There are lot of community centers that might accept clothes or might accept food donations, and some churches might do the same.

“So, being able to use your brain, be creative and have fun with your friends. It’s a great idea to fellowship with your friends while also doing stuff for other folks.”

Claytor said Dr. King’s legacy to make a change can inspire everyone, even if it’s giving back on a smaller scale like picking up trash at a park.

“Like, let’s be very frank, we don’t have to be afraid of saying it, life is difficult,” Claytor said. “But, there are a lot of people who have [it] a lot worse than some of us do. So, if we can do something small to be able to give back to somebody else who doesn’t have as much as we have, then I think we can all move [toward] a better community altogether. 

Claytor noted that donating a couple of dollars online to a local nonprofit can also go a long way.