Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service took place on Jan. 16, and Cougs have a variety of events and volunteer opportunities to choose from to celebrate all week. 

On Monday, the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) held the Martin Luther King, Jr. Food Drive. All food donations collected during the food drive were split between the Community Action Center and the Cougar Food Pantry, according to the WSU Events website. 

Areona Garrison, food pantry assistant at Cougar Food Pantry, said Monday’s food drive brought in 781.58 lbs of food. The total amount will be split between the Cougar Food Pantry and the  Community Action Center, she said.

The food drive had five different drop-off locations in Pullman: Grocery Outlet, Safeway, Walmart, Cougar Food Pantry (CUB) and the Student Affairs Suite.

At Safeway, Meaghan Redmond, junior animal science major, enjoyed her experience volunteering with the CCE for the food drive. Volunteering is a great way to see the community work together, Redmond said. 

“After my experience volunteering today, I plan to sign up for more projects,” Redmond said. “It’s a great way to give back, and I actually feel like I’m making a difference.” 

Another way to celebrate MLK this week is by joining the current president of the Spokane National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Kiantha Duncan for her Foley talk on racial healing and politics.

Duncan will discuss whether political action will close the racial divide and help heal scars from past injustices, according to the WSU Events website. 

The event is free and open to the public. It will be from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 18, in the Foley’s Speaker’s Room (308 Bryan Hall) and will also be streamed on YouTube.