Visitors to downtown’s National Underground Railroad Freedom Center will receive free admission Monday to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. People who visit are asked to bring clothing or a personal care item that will be donated to Haitian children affected by the recent earthquake there.—-
The Freedom Center is coordinating the donation collections with the Cincinnati Reds. Also, 1-800-Got Junk will have a truck parked outside all day Monday to collect the items. They will be shipped to Haiti by Matthew 25 Ministries.
Donations will be accepted from 10 a.m. until closing at 5 p.m.
Museum officials said they’re focusing on children’s items because in disasters of this magnitude, children are especially vulnerable physically, as well as being kidnapped and trafficked into slave labor.
The Freedom Center commemorates the safe houses and secret routes, known as the Underground Railroad, that slaves used on their way to northern free states in the 19th century. Many such stops are located throughout Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.