Youth Honor Dr. King’s Legacy through Service

January 27, 2026

“Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.”
         —Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Some of our young people used their time off of school on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to pack meal kits for Feed My Starving Children. Mercy Home encourages our young people to organize or perform service projects throughout the year, and the holiday honoring King’s legacy was an especially meaningful way to kick off the new year. 

“It makes me feel closer to God when I volunteer the way that others have helped me in the past,” said Kendall, a Mercy Home youth.  

The young people rotated jobs that included scooping protein and rice and weighing it before it was shipped overseas to the Philippines. Kendall said that she enjoyed her peer’s company but mainly worked independently. Many had volunteered with Feed My Starving Children in the past and guided some of the newer volunteers.  

“[Volunteering] makes me feel very nice,” Kendall said. “Not everybody can have the same treatment or care that I have [at Mercy Home].” 

Jennifer Bean, a staff member at the Home, tries to organize service opportunities every month for the young people in her care. She said that Feed My Starving Children is accessible because they accept people of all ages.  

“It’s just important to give back,” Bean said. “I teach my own children that. It instills the idea of giving and what it means to give back to the community. Even at Mercy Home, we get so many donations, (so we can help those) who aren’t as fortunate as we are.” 

Bean always tries to schedule community service opportunities on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The holiday is the only federal holiday designated by Congress as a National Day of Service. The late Congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis championed a motto and call to action for the holiday by describing it as is “a day on, not a day off” to honor King’s legacy through community volunteering and civic action. 

The young people Bean works with have also honored the holiday by visiting an exhibit about King at a local history museum.  

“I try to make (the day) impactful and [representative of] what MLK stood for,” Bean said.  

Acts of service are an integral part of the therapeutic approach at Mercy Home. Encouraging youth to step outside their comfort zones and engage in new activities supports their treatment and personal growth. This particular group of young people has recently held clothing drives, volunteered at a nursing home in Chicago’s Beverley community, and plans to pitch in at the Pilsen Food Pantry next month.  

“The kids have asked for more things in their community because it feels more impactful,” Bean said.

Following the day of preparing meal kits, a worker at Feed My Starving Children asked the group if anyone wanted to pray over the food before it was delivered overseas.  

Kendall raised her hand and led a prayer in front of other schools, Mercy Home youth, and volunteers. 

“I prayed that the food would get delivered safely to all the people in need,” Kendall said. “It made me feel closer to God.” 

While the group was hard at work during the day, the nighttime offered a chance for the young people to learn about the history and culture of Mississippi. They met locals on walking tours of Clarksdale, took trips to museums, and visited the Emmett Till Interpretive Center.