Honoring Dr. King’s Legacy with a Day of Service

Photo courtesy of The Obama Foundation

On Monday, January 16, the South Side YMCA hosted The Obama Foundation for a 2023 MLK Day of Service. To celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Foundation partnered with the Honeycomb Project to support four local nonprofit organizations — Nourishing Hope, Growing Home Inc., Connections for Abused Women and their Children Chicago, and The Love Fridge.

Representatives from each of the organizations, the Y, and the Foundation, along with nearly 300 volunteers from across the city came together in the South Side Y’s gym to pack self-care kits, prepare meals for those in need, create birthday cards for seniors, and plant seeds to grow fresh produce. 11-year-old (yes, 11!) DJ Ije provided the event’s entertainment, playing all kinds of music from decades past, up through today’s hits.

In honor of what would’ve been Dr. King’s 90th birthday, President Obama shared his vision for an MLK Day of Service in January 2019 to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy and to recognize and reflect on the power of serving others. After multiple years on pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Day of Service event was back in person for 2023.

Check out some photos from the event over on the Foundation’s Facebook page.