Thanksgiving Point to host day of service for hungry children on Monday

LEHI, Utah (January 5, 2023) – Thanksgiving Point invites the community to give back and serve during the annual Day of Service, held on Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 16, 2023) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This year, Thanksgiving Point and community partner Five.12 Foundation welcomes all to make “weekend bags” full of food for kids struggling with hunger in Utah.

Thanksgiving Point is partnering with Five.12 Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Alpine, Utah, whose purpose is to “provide weekend backpacks full of food for those students in need.” Five.12 Foundation serves 50 schools throughout the state, delivering 1,800-weekend backpacks each week. Over 51,000 weekend backpacks have been delivered to schools since the start of the 2022-23 school year. During the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, participants will join volunteers from Five.12 to pack hundreds of meal kits for hunger-stricken students.

According to Feeding America, one in nine children (over 100,000 kids) faces hunger in Utah. Hunger can cause serious developmental, psychological, and behavioral issues for children. Without access to nutritious foods, children are more likely to have trouble learning, become more prone to illness, and are more likely to be hospitalized than kids who are from food-secure homes. Thanksgiving Point’s Every Kid Counts initiative supports organizations like Five.12 that help make learning accessible and available to every child in Utah, no matter their economic situation. 

Held on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Day of Service helps celebrate the man who dedicated his life to serving his community. In his honor, Thanksgiving Point hosts the annual Day of Service to support other local nonprofits. In the past, Thanksgiving Point partnered with Serving with Smiles and Granite Education Foundation. This is Thanksgiving Point’s third Day of Service.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service will be held at the Museum of Natural Curiosity on Monday, January 16, 2023, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., or until all weekend backpacks are packed. Access to the service project is free and does not require tickets. Admission to the Museum of Natural Curiosity is separate from the event. For more information, please visit thanksgivingpoint.org/events/martin-luther-king-jr-day-of-service/.

Thanksgiving Point supports the Five.12 Foundation through the Every Kid Counts initiative. Every Kid Counts helps make learning accessible to economically disadvantaged children in Utah. This program also provides free admission for kids with families on SNAP or WIC benefits, support for nonprofit partners benefitting children, and opportunities for various service projects on campus. For more information, please visit thanksgivingpoint.org/our-mission/every-kid-counts/.

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