Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast Set for Monday in West Long Branch

Giving back to the community is the focus of this year’s Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Breakfast, hosted by the The Community YMCA and YMCA of Western Monmouth County.

The breakfast will be held on Monday, Jan. 21, from 8 to 10 a.m., at Branches Catering, 123 Monmouth Road, West Long Branch.

The YMCA is encouraging attendees to bring non-perishable food items that will be donated to Lunch Break, a food bank located in Red Bank. The annual event celebrates the life and legacy of Dr. King and more than 200 area residents, students, community leaders and friends of the Y are expected to attend.

Assistant Monmouth County Prosecutor Richard E. Incremona will be presenting the Prosecutor’s Humanitarian Award to a local student and the winners of the YMCA Dr. King essay contest will be announced.

This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Brian K. Roper, a local physician and pharmacist in the Jersey Shore area. Dr. Roper is committed to health and wellness and academic excellence and has been a speaker at forums for these topics, as well as black history for over 20 years. 

A primary care Internist for the past 15 years, Dr. Roper launched Roperceuticals, a nutraceutical company, which conducts a church wellness project that provides health-related lectures to underserved congregations and guides individuals on the path to health and wellness through overall healthy living.