NTFB Volunteers Honor Martin Luther King Jr. During MLK National Day of Service
More than 100 volunteers gave back by packing and boxing food for neighbors facing hunger.

In recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, nearly 120 volunteers spent time at the North Texas Food Bank supporting their neighbors facing hunger.
NTFB typically hosts volunteer shifts Tuesdays through Saturdays, but in honor of MLK Day each year, the Community Engagement Team opens up service opportunities on the third Monday of each January.
“Dr. King dedicated his life to serving the community and encouraging others to do the same,” says Riley Mainord, NTFB Volunteer Specialist. “It feels only right to honor his legacy of service by offering our community a place to come to join in on that commitment.”
Since 1983, Martin Luther King Jr. Day has honored the civil rights activist and Baptist minister who was assassinated in 1968. In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed legislation making MLK Day a National Day of Service with the intention of encouraging Americans to make it “a day on, not a day off,” which is how Martin Luther King Jr. lived his life while working for justice and racial equality.
AmeriCorps, the federal agency that sends volunteers throughout the U.S., leads the Day of Service volunteer efforts and has distributed over $1 million in grants to help fund projects around the country. According to AmeriCorps, however, most projects now take place independent of their agency and look like NTFB’s pack and box shifts in that they are opportunities Americans can participate in during any month of the year.
“What’s so important about the King holiday is not only the service that’s going to happen, but how it creates a spark for people to think about how maybe they’re going to serve all year long,” AmeriCorps CEO Michael Smith told PBS this year.
NTFB is thankful to all those who gave their time on MLK Day, January 20. The bulk of volunteers participated in packing and boxing food for the 1 in 7 North Texans facing hunger. Others acted as door clerks at the H-E-B Donation Door. Among the more than 100 individuals who participated were teams from Catapult Solutions Group, Commerce House, SBG Hospitality and Viago Community.
To get involved in a future volunteer shift, visit ntfb.org/get-involved/volunteer.
