Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?" In honor of Dr. King’s commitment to serving others and to celebrate his extraordinary legacy, every year many Americans take part in a national day of service. The MLK Day of Service, officially designated by Congress in 1994, is an opportunity for people to come together and strengthen and empower the communities they live in.
Every year, AmeriCorps VISTA members serving in the Refugee Support Network (RSN) partake in a special volunteer opportunity in honor of Dr. King. This MLK Day – the 25th anniversary of the holiday – RSN VISTAs spent a day with Northwest Harvest, a community organization committed to fighting hunger in Washington State. After a brief orientation about the organization and receiving the standard volunteer uniform of hair net, beard net and latex gloves, the VISTAs enthusiastically prepared to man their battle stations. Together with Northwest Harvest staff and several other community volunteers, the VISTAs helped sort and package produce which would later be distributed at local food banks.
Like many non-profit organizations, Northwest Harvest relies heavily on volunteers to get the job done. Last year, volunteers donated over 88,700 hours to the organization, helping to ensure food reaches hungry people all throughout the state. In one day, the six RSN VISTAs collectively contributed 36 volunteer hours and helped package over 7,000 pounds of corn. Over 5,000 meals will be served to hungry people in the community as a result of these efforts.
Thank you, Northwest Harvest, for letting the Refugee Support Network join your team for a day! Keep up the good work!
Return to the IRC in Seattle
