Local News
Thanksgiving Point to honor Martin Luther King Jr. with Day of Service
Thanksgiving Point invites the community to give back and serve during the annual Day of Service, held on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 15, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Butterfly Biosphere. 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, 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 will be delivered to schools during the 2023-24 school year. During the 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 ten children face hunger in Utah, over 93,000 children in total. 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 in food-secure homes.
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. Last year, participants filled almost 2,000 bags of food in about two hours. With each bag containing four weekend meals, participants provided about 8,000 meals to hungry children in the state of Utah. This will be Thanksgiving Point’s fourth annual Day of Service.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service will be held at the Butterfly Biosphere on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., or until all weekend backpacks are packed. Access to the service project is free and does not require tickets. Admission to the Butterfly Biosphere is not included with 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 science 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/.
