Now is your time to stand up for causes that can make our community a better place. Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy of social justice and activism by joining the WSU Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) and AmeriCorps VISTA Palouse Fresh Food Project for the 2016 Martin Luther King, Jr. Sustainable, Local, Organic (SLO) Food Drive and Day of Service.
Leading up to Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service on Monday, January 18, the CCE and the Palouse Fresh Food Project will hold a campus and community food drive. This food drive differs from most by focusing on sustainable, local, and organic donations and strives to collect nutritious foods. The MLK SLO Food Drive is sponsored in part by a mini-grant from the Iowa Campus Compact.
Collection locations will be available on the WSU Pullman campus January 11-15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily on the Compton Union first floor and all day in CUB L48, the Student Recreation Center entrance, and the Lightly Espresso Bar.
WSU student volunteers will also collect donations January 15-17 at Dissmore’s IGA and the Pullman Walmart, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily and at the Moscow Food Co-op from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. Donors are encouraged to use recipes provided at the food drive locations to create complete meals for local families, and information about food insecurity on the Palouse will be available at each collection location. Donors at the community locations will receive a free, fair trade tote bag for participating in the food drive. Donations benefit Community Action Center and Family Promise of the Palouse.
On January 18, Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service, WSU students, faculty, and staff have the opportunity to participate in one of five local service projects. Projects include two opportunities to help sort donations collected at the SLO food drive at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., a civil rights era newspaper archiving project at White Spring Ranch Museum at 11 a.m., ranch assistance with the Orphan Acres horse rescue at 1 pm, and crafting with residents of the Avalon Care Center at 2:30 p.m. WSU students can register for projects on cougsync.wsu.edu, and faculty and staff should email ashlie.grilz@wsu.edu to register. For more information, visit cce.wsu.edu.
The Palouse Fresh Food Project is an AmeriCorps VISTA project supported by a partnership between the CCE and Washington Campus Compact. This project works with WSU students and the local community to fight food insecurity and to provide better access to fresh and nutritious foods, which are not always available at local food pantries.
