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LANETT — Valley Community Outreach (a.k.a. The Village) and the Tree of Life will be hosting a fourth annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend distribution this coming Saturday. It will get underway at 10 a.m. EST in the James A. Hardy Gym, located at the L.B. Sykes Community Center in Lanett.

Event sponsors Walmart, Amazon, and Givorns Foods have collectively donated more than $18,400 in new merchandise to be distributed locally. These items include clothes, shoes, toys, household items, and non-perishable food items.

“We want to wish everyone a Happy New Year,” said The Village spokesperson Bridgette Wilson. “First and foremost we want to thank God for his provisions. We want to thank all organizations who generously contributed their resources and their time. We appreciate everyone who is part of spreading love to families facing challenges.”

The Village and the Tree of Life joined forces to aid more than 500 local families during its annual Christmas giveaway in December.

“We should spread love not just in the holiday season but throughout the year,” Wilson said. “There are many others in our beloved Valley who are making positive impacts in the community. Witnessing the happiness of children always warms our hearts. We are busy spreading the word about this upcoming free distribution. Everyone is invited to be there at 10 a.m. Saturday, January 13th.”

Wilson said that volunteers are always welcome to help out during these distributions. “There’s a special invitation to our youth,” she said. “We are authorized to disseminate official federal and state recognized community service hours certificates that can help get scholarships and can be included on resumes’ when applying for jobs.”

The Village is made up of individuals who grew up in the Greater Valley Area, moved away for job opportunities but still love the area they have always called home and want to give back to a community that will always be special to them.