MILFORD, DE- On today's Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, volunteers lined up at the Food Bank of Delaware to give back to the community. Dozens of volunteers, community leaders and organizations dedicated their day off to helping neighbors in need and supporting programs that provide meals to children and families.
It was an assembly-line of service at the Food Bank, with volunteers packing, sealing, and boxing hundreds of meals for children in need. Bags of soup cans, cereal, milk and other staples moved hand to hand as volunteers from across the community came together.
Krashenda Adule, a volunteer with the Sigma Gamma Rho Delta Tau Sigma Alumnae Chapter, said giving back today alongside others in her community was a meaningful experience.
"It's a community effort. Different organizations, whether they are friends of the organization, children, or anything. It's just a really good time to have for all of us to come together and be blessed to help others in need."
The hundreds of bags volunteers packed today were destined for the Food Bank of Delaware's Backpack Program, which provides children at risk of going hungry with food to take home on weekends and school breaks. The backpacks include easy-to-prepare, kid-friendly items like milk, juice, cereal, granola bars and macaroni and cheese, and are delivered to schools so students can take them home discreetly.
Chad Robinson, with The Food Bank of Delaware, said the program ensures students have meals to take home over the weekend, noting that hunger affects about one in eight children in Delaware.
"They get delivered to our schools between Tuesday and Thursday, usually each week, and drop it in the child's bookbag before they leave on Friday so that the kids have food over the weekend."
Lori Simpson, a volunteer with Edgewell Personal Care, said making every bag count is especially important, knowing the need is more urgent than ever.
"We just know with the climate we're in today, food prices are outrageous, right? Even working-class people have some challenges. And so here's an opportunity for us to just kind of sacrifice. It's not just about us. It's the time to give back to others who are more in need."
Simpson said that while volunteering is valuable, participating on this day is especially about carrying on Dr. King's legacy through service.
"It's not a day off. It's a day on. And that helps us continue to perpetuate the dream of Doctor King to serve others. One of his famous quotes is, " What are you doing for others? And so we've rallied a team of about 17 teammates, and they brought some of their children out as well to support the Food Bank of Delaware efforts."
Helping the community, giving back to those in need, and honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.—one can at a time.
Food Bank leaders say volunteers are needed year-round to help keep food on the tables of community members. The Food Bank encourages anyone interested in volunteering or giving back to visit its website for more information.