9/11 Day of Service: New Yorkers volunteer to honor lives lost 20 years ago

Saturday, September 11, 2021
MANHATTAN, New York (WABC) -- A single bell tolls to remember the lives lost 20 years ago as hundreds packed the U.S.S. Intrepid Saturday for the 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance.

Broadway actors from the show "Come From Away" performed while volunteers boxed more than 200,000 meals that will go to city harvest and food banks around New York City.
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"That's something we want to hand off from generation to generation all over the country," 9/11 Day of Service founder Jay Winuk said.

Winuk lost his brother Glenn, an attorney and volunteer firefighter, who would have been 60 today.

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"He helped evacuate his law office then ran into the south tower to evacuate that and died when the south tower collapsed," Winuk said. "If there's one thing I can do for my brother, Glenn would be proud of that."



The day of service has become a yearly tradition for so many and a time to remember all of the lives lost.
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"It's a day of kindness and I'm happy to put all this together," Francis Luga said.

"My son was in kindergarten for the first week of his life -- didn't have to talk them into being here today giving back. So many people have a sacrificed everything," Terri DeMeo said.

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The National Day of Remembrance has become the biggest day of charitable giving across the country, with 30 million Americans participating in 9 different cities from Boston to Los Angeles.


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