Published Jan. 27, 2021
Thanks to the contributors and volunteers for the University of Louisiana Monroe and
Louisiana Delta Community College MLK Day of Service, more than 3,000 meals will go
to feed the hungry in the community.
On Jan. 18, 2021, ULM's Division of Student Affairs and Office of Diversity, Equity,
and Inclusion, and LDCC collected 3,710 lbs. of food that will allow the Food Bank
of Northeast Louisiana to provide a total of 3,092 meals to our community.
The University of Louisiana Monroe and Louisiana Delta Community College continued
working together on Martin Luther King Day of Service on Jan. 18. This year, more
than 3,700 lbs. of food was collected and donated to the Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana.
Thanks to the donations and volunteers, the Food Bank will provide 3,092 meals to
the community.
Siddharth Gaulee/ULM Photo Services
For more than 10 years, ULM and LDCC have partnered to assist a local community agency.
This year volunteers collected donations for the Food Bank, which provides thousands
of meals in the region and supplies the ULM Student Food Bank.
"Service learning is an important part of the education that students are offered
at ULM. The MLK Day of Service provides an opportunity for students to engage in learning
outside of the classroom. An opportunity to learn about the needs and issues of communities.
Issues and needs they are learning to address or may be facing themselves. What better
way to enhance that learning than to engage in addressing it simultaneously?" stated
Pamela Saulsberry, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and
Inclusion.
"Dr. King is rightly remembered for his work in addressing civil rights issues. Often
forgotten is that he was just as adamant about social and economic inequality as well.
MLK once said, 'Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing
for others?' That, for me, encapsules the reason behind ULM's MLK Day of Service.
This is an opportunity for students to learn and serve at the same time," Saulsberry
said.
Canned goods and non-perishable donations were collected on ULM and LDCC's campuses
for several weeks before the day of service.
Alvina Thomas, Dean of Student Affairs at LDCC, said, "Dr. Martin Luther King states
in his Nobel Peace Prize speech, 'I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere
can have three meals a day for their bodies, education, and culture for their minds,
and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits.' While LDCC's MLK Day of Service
partnership with ULM provided food to the Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana, our partnership
also provided hope to people who are in need."
Working in shifts throughout the day, about 270 ULM and LDCC students, faculty, staff,
and community members volunteered to participate. These volunteers transported and
organized the collections at LDCC's campus for delivery to the Food Bank.
"This year, I was allowed the chance to be more involved in the MLK Day of Service
event, and it was a very humbling experience. It is always good to see the ULM community
come together volunteering items as well as their time for such a great cause. I look
forward to this event each year because it allows me the opportunity to give back
to those that are in need," stated Emily Essex, ULM Director of Student Life and Leadership.
John McKeel, a ULM student and president of the Campus Activities Board, was moved
by his experience as a volunteer for MLK Day of Service, describing the experience
as "amazing."
"It was amazing to see everyone come together in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
This was my first year participating in the Day of Service, and I can say that I felt
an immense feeling of selflessness mixed with honor to have the opportunity to help
out the community on this day. Personally, I loved how diverse the group of volunteers
were because it represented Martin Luther King's ideology and furthered the message
that the University of Louisiana Monroe will continue to uphold his dream of equality
amongst all," McKeel said.
