Hundreds of volunteers decorate South Side homes for the holidays

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Louis Anderson has lived on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive for 20 years.

He said he's never seen the South Side neighborhood light up like it did on Sunday.

Anderson is one of 250 residents having their homes festooned for the holidays by nearly 600 volunteers, assembling decorations donated online to nonprofit My Block, My Hood, My City.

"This is good enough for me. I don't have to do nothing," Anderson said.

My Block, My Hood, My City saw more than double the volunteers from last year, bringing toys to be given away too.

"Doing simple things can inspire hope for youth, the kids that live on King Drive," said Jahmal Cole, founder of the nonprofit. "They look through bulletproof glass windows every day, they see helicopter lights, they see police car lights, and a lot of them have never seen a Christmas tree. So doing something as simple as hanging holiday lights will inspire hope and it will interrupt the trauma that exists."

The nonprofit has developed a national reputation for its simplicity in community building.

The group hopes to decorate 250 homes this holiday season.

"You have people in your local neighborhoods who have never made it downtown, so I think it's really cool," said Chicago resident Maria Hightower. "Festive kind of brings everybody together."

For more information on My Block, My Hood, My City and how to get involved, visit their website: https://www.formyblock.org/.