Martin Luther King, Jr. is the first modern private citizen to be honored with a federal holiday. It was a long struggle to set aside the third Monday in January as a day to honor and celebrate a man who advocated for not only racial equality but also economic equality and for all people to be treated with respect and dignity. While the legislation to set aside the day was signed by Ronald Reagan in 1983, its first official celebration was on January 18, 1986, and it took until 2000 for all 50 states to recognize it as a state government holiday. 

There’s something a little different about the day set aside to honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is not noted as a holiday but is instead referred to as a National Day of Service. In a blog post from the Library of Congress, Coretta Scott King, Dr. King’s wife, observed, “The 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.” 

In keeping with the idea of service to others, members of the Mast Store Marketing Department spent some time at one of the store’s longest-running local partners – the Hunger and Health Coalition (HHC). This non-profit is the outgrowth of a simple question asked by a Blowing Rock mother of her two young boys at Christmastime – “What would make Christmas special?” They answered, “A birthday party for Jesus.” They went out and shopped for toys and took them to a local church where they found out that toys were not what they needed – people were coming in hungry. The mother took what she learned, contacted a few friends, and brought canned goods to help out. Some 45 years later, the HHC serves 14,000 households or more each year. 

When we arrived, we were greeted by staff members who were genuinely happy to have us there. “We volunteered on a day where a lot of flooding was taking place, yet the building was still filled with people working and community members stopping by to pick up their food supply. I was surprised by how much work and helping hands it takes to get everything done,” shared Addison. 

Our group worked on two projects – four of us helped process staple goods for distribution and restocked shelves and two of our group worked in the kitchen preparing fresh meals for distribution. All the time we were working, there were clients braving the rising waters to pick up their food for the week and staff members and regular volunteers buzzing around moving packed boxes, checking in goods from local restaurants and grocery stores, and showing us what needed to be done next. It truly was a hive of activity.

“Honestly, it was great to get to know other people from the community. This was my first time volunteering in person since Covid. I think I had forgotten how it felt to be close with the community in such an immersive way. It’s easy to forget we’re a part of a greater group of people,” observed Anna.

As our volunteer shift came to a close, everyone in our group agreed that it was a fun experience that we enjoyed doing together. We all had our individual takeaways from our time, but several of us shared this one that Ryan put into words, “I learned how sophisticated the operation of food retrieval is. It's a well-thought-out and organized process to feed folks in our community. Most importantly, though, it’s important to remember that everybody goes through tough times and having a community that supports them can make a difference in how each person comes out on the other end.”

Another conclusion we came to is that all of us want to volunteer again, and that’s a good thing for us as individuals and for our community. The simple truth is that many of the organizations important to the fabric of our communities could not exist without volunteers. That includes everything from food security organizations like the Hunger & Health Coalition to local and national parks and everything in between. Plus, according to HelpGuide.org (an independent non-profit group providing trustworthy information to improve mental health), volunteering has benefits beyond those recognized by the recipient organization. Volunteering connects you to others, is good for your mind and body, can help advance your career, and brings fun and fulfillment to your life.

If you need help in finding a place to volunteer, look to what is important to you in your local community – maybe it’s a school where you can help with tutoring, perhaps one of your favorite parks needs help with restoring a trail, or an eldercare facility is looking for someone to come in for music day. Many places need our help. The AmeriCorps website has a listing of opportunities by zip code, so if you don’t know where to start, just go HERE for a few ideas.

Dr. King stated, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is ‘What are you doing for others?’” We hope you find your own answer and carry forward in his honor on this National Day of Service and throughout the year.

Photo: Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division