Honoring Dr. King by Serving Others

UWFC brings people together to serve others in the spirit of Dr. King’s vision of the Beloved Community through its annual Winter Food Drive.

“Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly,” wrote Martin Luther King, Jr. in his 1963 letter from the Birmingham, Alabama jail. Two years later in a speech he added, “I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be.”

What better way to honor Dr. King’s legacy than by serving others and embracing the mutuality he described. On Dr. King’s birthday, and any day, we can heed the call to Live United, to help people everywhere attain the fundamental building blocks of a good life: a quality education, a well-paying job, and good health.

In 1994, Congress designated the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday as a national day of service. To observe this federal holiday as a “day on, not a day off,” United Way of Franklin County (UWFC) kicks-off its Winter Food Drive on MLK Day every year. The food drive is a chance to help others “be who they ought to be” and do the same for ourselves.

Dr. King also said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: what are you doing for others?” MLK Day of Service moves us closer to Dr. King's vision of a Beloved Community. A Beloved Community, popularized by Dr. King during his life of activism, represents a community in which everyone is cared for, absent of poverty, hunger, and hate. It is a community where we each reach our full potential and give of ourselves to advance the common good.

So, we invite you to Live United on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday - and every day. Each dollar you donate to the Winter Food Drive will help feed families right here in Franklin and Fulton counties.

UWFC leads a myriad of efforts to serve our local communities year-round. To explore volunteer needs and sign up for our volunteer opportunities distribution list, visit www.uwfcpa.org/volunteer.