Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life was dedicated to strengthening communities, empowering individuals and bridging barriers. Each year, on MLK day thousands engage in community service to honor his legacy.
This year, MLK national day of service was a core component of President Joe Biden’s inaugural festivities. President Biden’s inaugural committee worked with service leaders of various communities to organize service to address pre-existing inequalities illuminated by the pandemic. “This inauguration marks a new beginning for our country. A new chance to heal, rebuild and strengthen this democracy we all cherish. And fulfilling the promise of this moment will require each of us to our part,” said Vice President Kamala Harris in a video address.
The Baltimore Hunger Project was proud to participate in the Presidential Inaugural Committee Day of Service. Although this year’s service day activities were all done remotely, the community was even more engaged than years past. Participants prepared snack bags along with notes of encouragement for underprivileged kids in the Baltimore region. Each snack bag contained one water bottle, one goodie (such as a candy or processed chips), two healthy snack (such as granola bars or popcorn) and two protein snacks (such as trail mix or beef jerky). To accompany the snack bags, participants created cheerful notes decorated with colored markers, crayons, sparkling pens and stickers. One of our volunteers commented, “My family and I donated Snack Bags and Notes of Encouragement on Monday. My kids loved doing the notes and loved packing the bags! All at their own pace! They and I felt we were really doing something for our community. Thank you for allowing us to contribute!”
The event was a major success! BHP received over 8,500 snack bags and hundreds of notes. Thank you to everyone who participated and keep an eye out for our next event!
Jessica Kaplan, Bucknell Class of 2021, BHP Intern