1,500 North Texans take part in 'Freedom Day' of service in remembrance of 9/11

PLANO, Texas - More than 1,500 volunteers paid it forward Wednesday with acts of service across North Texas to honor September 11th first responders.

The day of service is called Freedom Day.

Volunteers were at several locations, including the North Texas Food Bank in Plano, where they put together non-perishable meals.

Also helping out was 11-year-old Ruben Martinez, who created a viral good deed social media campaign, known as the El Paso Challenge, in the wake of the mass shooting there last month.

Event organizers said Martinez’s mission is the same as their own, turning tragedy into a positive force.

“In the end, we didn’t want the terrorists to have the last word and define how our country was going to remember 9/11. And we were inspired instead by the way the country came together in this incredible spirit of unity, so that became the inspiration for 9/11 becoming a day of service," said David Paine, co-founder of the event said.

Volunteers in Plano were expected to pack up to 275,000 meals for North Texans in need.