Our Day On

How did you all spend your Martin Luther King day? For the second year, Cathy and I were fortunate enough to be able to participate in our church's MLK Day activities. The church organizes service opportunities at various social service agencies around Bloomington. Last year we organized donated clothing at the Salvation Army Thrift Store. This year we volunteered at the Hoosier Hills Food Bank.

I didn't know much about Hoosier Hills before Monday. They started in 1982 and serve as a distribution center for donated food. They collect food donations from the community, food from the USDA and excess, damaged or unmarketable food
from grocery stores, distributors and restaurants. The also participate in the America's Second Harvest program. They then distribute the food to soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters and over 80 other partner agencies. In 1996, they distributed 1.65 million pounds of food in six counties in south central Indiana. We spent the day folding and labeling food donation bags, with about 65 other volunteers, for the upcoming food drive associated with the Live From Bloomington band showcase.

Martin Luther King Day was created by an act of Congress in 1994 and designating as a national day of volunteer service. American are encouraged not to just take the day off, but to celebrate the legacy of Dr. King by "turning community concerns into citizen action."