Kicking off the day with reflections on Dr. King’s life and message at the Food Project’s headquarters.
Imagine a global community of caring where poverty, hunger and injustice are no more. Hard to picture, right? On this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, we celebrate the life of Dr. King and reflect on his dream for a “beloved community” - the ultimate goal of nonviolent activism for peace and justice.
While this vision of a beloved community may seem far from reality, at the Food Project we truly believe that…
“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”
As a ‘move forward’ on this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we’re grateful to have the support of a grant by the Corporation for National and Community Service! This year, several chapters of The Arc and partner organizations are working together to promote inclusive volunteering, bringing together people with and without disabilities to serve their communities.
For this Day of Service, we partnered with volunteers from the alumni associations of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, and Park Center’s Emerging Adults Services to provide vital food support in the Nashville community.
Volunteers gathered together in the morning for a kick-off meeting, spending time reflecting on the life and message of Dr. King. The Nashville Food Project’s CEO, Tallu Quinn, opened the morning by sharing some thoughts on Dr. King’s vision of a beloved community.
Simba The Poet
We were also honored to welcome Simba Alik Woodard -- also known as Simba The Poet -- a Black, Queer, Trans activist and spoken word artist from Nashville. He has been leading writing workshops and working with youth organizations around the city to contribute to the movement of healing young people through the arts. Simba shared a poem from his recently released book, The Gun That Killed Devin.
At the Food Project, we know that good food alone is not a solution to hunger, poor health, poverty and isolation. That’s why we make sure our nutritious meals and snacks are supporting the vibrant, creative work of anti-poverty and community-building organizations in our city!
MLK day volunteers working at our two commercial kitchens prepped food for 1,299 meals, which TNFP staff will deliver to 22 partner nonprofit program sites across Nashville. Volunteers also assisted with preparing seeds for our production and community gardens, where TNFP grows food for our kitchens and facilitates access to land and garden training for Nashvillians to grow food for themselves and their families.
Chef Bianca
To close the project, volunteers returned to the Food Project’s headquarters to reflect on the day while sharing a meal cooked by our Chef Director, Bianca, inspired by Dr. King’s favorite foods with a Food Project twist: oven baked “fried” chicken, mac & cheese, and salad.
In addition to our event on January 20th, our headquarters kitchen also hosted 15 college-age students from the following schools: Belmont, Fisk, Lipscomb, Meharry, Nashville State, Tennessee State University, Trevecca and Vanderbilt University on Saturday, the 18th. Their time prepping fresh ingredients for our meals program was part of a MLK Joint Day of Service, helping connect over 400 students to special projects in the Nashville area with intention around food access, community beautification and other community needs.
In the true spirit of Dr. King, MLK Day of Service shines a light on what all people can do to love, uplift, and support their neighbors. Feeling inspired to get involved? Click here to learn more about how you can volunteer in The Nashville Food Project’s gardens and kitchens!
