By PHILIP MARCELO, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — When longtime friends David Paine and Jay Winuk set out to encourage people to take part in volunteer and service projects on the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, their goal was simple: to turn a day of unimaginable tragedy into a day for doing good.

Now, as the nation prepares to mark the 24th anniversary of 9/11, that lofty mission has evolved into a national day of service where people across the country participate in projects that honor the nearly 3,000 dead.

The nationwide effort kicked off Wednesday as thousands of volunteers began assembling packaged meals for needy New Yorkers in a festive atmosphere aboard the USS Intrepid.

Teams of volunteers filled small plastic bags with various ingredients for making a kind o

See Full Page