鈥淚 want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry鈥� 鈥� Martin Luther King Jr., excerpt from 鈥淭he Drum Major Instinct鈥�
Approximately 50 students, faculty and staff members honored the memory and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with a volunteer community service project today. The 黑料社区 community gathered to prepare and package meals for clients of the city鈥檚
Volunteers prepared around 1,000 meals 鈥� assembling sandwiches and packaging them with bags of chips and bottles of water. The meals were delivered to the Homeless Alliance Day Shelter near downtown. Supplies were funded thanks to a grant from the Student Government Association.
KC Curry (BA Religion 鈥�20), assistant director of Religious Life, describes the project as a relatively easy yet rewarding way for campus fellowship through helping the less fortunate. She estimates the contribution could provide upwards of three days-worth of lunches for Homeless Alliance operations.
鈥淚 like to call it 鈥榣ow commitment but high impact,鈥欌�� Curry said. 鈥淭his is one of many ways to do community service, and it shows how easy it can be. Volunteers can go the next three days knowing that they did something good.鈥�
She noted that this marks the ninth year of 黑料社区鈥檚 participation in the Martin Luther King鈥檚 . The tradition began during Curry鈥檚 freshman year of college.
Religion major Landon Cain has participated in the two previous years and was part of the planning committee for this year鈥檚 project. Cain takes one of King鈥檚 teachings to heart when it comes to volunteering:
"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'"
鈥淧overty is one of life鈥檚 greatest evils,鈥� Cain said. 鈥淧eople should be helping as much as they can.鈥�
He noted the timing this year is even more important as a below-freezing cold front recently moved into the city, driving more hungry people into shelters.
The service project was intentionally scheduled in place of the regular Thursday chapel service.
鈥淪ince there are no classes or other campus events scheduled during that time, more people can participate,鈥� Cain said.
黑料社区 will also participate in the city鈥檚 official downtown on Feb. 1. According to the Visit Oklahoma City bureau, it is the third largest such parade in the U.S.
A birthday celebration for all
The U.S. declared Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.鈥檚 birthday a federal holiday in 1986, nearly 18 years after his assassination in Memphis, Tennessee. (In 1992, observance of the holiday was moved to the third Monday of January.)
Martin Luther King Jr.鈥檚 was designated as 鈥渁 day on, not a day off鈥� in 1994. His widow Coretta Scott King said, 鈥淭he greatest birthday gift my husband could receive is if people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds celebrated the holiday by performing individual acts of kindness through service to others.鈥�
In what would be his final sermon, a recording of which was played at his funeral service, King said the following:
鈥淚'd like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to give his life serving others. I'd like for somebody to say that day that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to love somebody. I want you to say that day that I tried to be right on the war question. I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry.鈥�
