MLK Day of Service Celebrates 8th Year

By Laurie Parkerson, St. James Episcopal Church, Hendersonville

January 15th marked the 8th annual Martin Luther King Day of Service at St. James, Hendersonville.

The Rev. Terry Young opened our program with a prayer and Katy Gash shared some beautiful comments based on her students' writings about Dr. King. The Rev. Henson asked the people where they'd come from, and we could see that we had representation from many faith- and community-based groups.

Then, thanks to the youth of the Episcopal Diocese and the pharmacy students from Wingate University, plus some stalwart helpers, we had tables of rice and beans ready to assemble and bag.  

After about 45 minutes, the nearly 150 people in attendance had turned 3,000 pounds of rice and beans into nearly 900 packets to send to the Storehouse.  

Wow! When I asked some of the youth helpers what they thought about the day, they said they had fun - a sentiment echoed by many. And they sure made a difference!

With special thanks to St James Episcopal Church, St Paul Tabernacle AME Zion, Grace Lutheran Church, Holy Family Episcopal Church, La Capilla de Santa Maria Episcopal Church, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, First Congregational Church of Hendersonville, Trinity Presbyterian Church, Agudas Israel Congregation, Henderson County NAACP, Wingate University School of Pharmacy, WOW Supermarket, The Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina Youth Ministry, and The Storehouse for all of their support.