Posts Tagged ‘#MLKDay’

Focusing on the Giving in Thanksgiving

Monday, November 21st, 2011

Today’s post comes from Michael Nealis, Interactive Strategy Coordinator for Points of Light Institute.

A few years ago, my best friend and I decided to break with tradition and host our own Thanksgiving dinner.

It started out simply enough. The first year we ran a race on Thanksgiving morning then cooked dinner for twelve people. Then things got a little out of hand.

You see, that first year was pretty easy, so each year we tried to have a bigger dinner than the previous year, just to see how many people we could end up cooking for.

This year looks like it’s going to be the biggest one yet. We’re looking at around forty people on the guest list, and we’re planning to start prepping the meal three days before we serve it.

There is no ordinary turkey for us. Instead, we make a turducken.

This year is going to be a little different, though. we’re still going to have a massive amount of food and friends, a lot of laughter, and everyone’s going to eat way too much. Who are we to mess with tradition?

We’re starting a new tradition this year, though. This year we’re asking our guests to bring a donation for the Freestore Foodbank in Cincinnati.

The idea came up when we were making plans for this year’s Thanksgiving dinner. We realized we weren’t going to be able to run the race on Thanksgiving morning like we usually do (the race supports Ronald McDonald House in Cincinnati), and we were wondering how we could still support a nonprofit in Cincinnati over Thanksgiving.

So, this year, we’re asking our guests to bring themselves, their families, and a little bit extra to help out the people in Cincinnati who might not be having a big Thanksgiving dinner with their families this year.

Our dinner is a great opportunity for all of us to take some time to think about Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which isn’t very far away. Dr. King’s envisioned a beloved community where people would not stand for their neighbors to be homeless or hungry, where human existence is social and we reach out to our neighbors to come together.

If you’re wondering how you can turn your Thanksgiving dinner into something a little bit bigger, check out the MLK Day Toolkit for some ideas on how to start a conversation about how to address the issues that are affecting your community.

You don’t have to talk about hunger issues, we decided to support a food bank because of the massive amount of food that’s going into one meal, you can talk about kids not having anywhere safe to play in your neighborhood, or how you can help people without a home find a safe place to sleep, or talk about how to support a school where students may not have all of the supplies that they need.

There are a lot of ways that you can start making a change in your neighborhood with your Thanksgiving dinner. It doesn’t have to be a big change, it doesn’t even have to be a move to action. Even the smallest changes start with a conversation about what needs to be done and how you can make that change a reality.

So, in between welcoming family and friends into your home this Thanksgiving, checking that the turkey is done, and watching football, try to take a few minutes to talk about what you and your friends can do to make your community just a little bit better.

Who knows what plans can be made over a second helping of mashed potatoes.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Inspire, Just for Fun, Neighboring | 2 Comments »

Four Easy Ways You Can Be Part of Something Bigger Than Yourself for MLKDay

Friday, January 7th, 2011

At the DC Central Kitchen,  donated food is used to fuel a nationally recognized culinary job training program where unemployed men and women learn marketable skills while donations are converted into balanced meals for people in low-income D.C. communities. Through outreach and education, Robert Egger and others at the DC Central Kitchen are making a difference.

Here are four easy ways you can be a part of something bigger than yourself:

1.    Donate to your . Food banks nationwide help ensure that our neighbors won’t go hungry.

2.    Volunteer at a local shelter serving meals. Homelessness is only a paycheck away for many Americans. You can help your neighbors simply by donating a few hours to serve a healthy meal to the people in your community.

3.    Host a Sunday Supper and invite others from your community to join.  Together you can discuss the needs of your community and how you can be a part of the solution. As a host you will be eligible* for prizes like a new Flip Camera, free registration to the 2011 National Conference on Volunteering and Service and more.

4.    Watch the live webcast of America’s Sunday Supper. Broadcasting live from Washington, D.C. on Sunday, January 16 at 6:00 p.m. EST, Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post, NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo, Olympic legend Carl Lewis, S. Leo Chiang-producer and director of “A Village Called Versailles”, Barton Seaver-cook and National Geographic Fellow, Michelle Nunn of Points of Light Institute, Robert Egger of DC Central Kitchen and other special guests will share their thoughts on civic engagement, volunteerism and how we can continue the work of Dr. King.

*Eligibility based on completion of the Sunday Supper Organizer Report.

Tags: , America's Sunday Supper,
Posted in Volunteerism | 1 Comment »

The Road to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: One Small Change

Monday, December 6th, 2010

You see them all around you every day.  Small ways that the world can be better.

You might see them on your way home from work, or on the way to the grocery store.  You might see them on the way to a friend’s house or on the news tonight.

They aren’t big things.  They’re so small you might not even notice them.

There is so much that you can do in your community to help solve its problems.

If we all took some time and lent our talents and abilities to solving our community’s problems, they’d be well on their way to being solved.

You might be wondering what you can do.  The problems seem so big.  Maybe it’s time to turn the question around to, “What can’t I do.”  The list is a lot shorter than you realize.

You’re not being asked to solve the homelessness problem in your community.  You’re not being asked to feed all of the hungry people.  You’re not being asked to help all of the children to do better in school.

Just one person.

You can stand up and say that you’re not going to let a man continue to live without shoes on his feet.  You can stand up and say that you’re not going to let a woman not be able to read to her children.  You can stand up and say that you’re not going to let your neighbor go hungry.

Just one person.

One person, working to change their world.  Someone making small changes in our world that, when we start to add them up, turns into big changes.  That change into massive movements.

That start with just one person.

If you’re not sure where to start, you can come join us as we work towards changing our world.  We’re working towards small changes.  We want people to come together and talk about how to change their world.  You can start a conversation around a meal and use that as a platform to start acting towards the changes you want to see in your community.  You can come together with members of your community to for the better.  You can stand side by side with people in your community and make the small changes that lead to bigger changes.

You can tell your story of service and inspire others to begin making small changes with you.

Tonight on your way home from work, or tomorrow on your way to the grocery store, look for the small thing that you can change.  When you go to visit your friend this weekend or watch the news tonight, look for the small thing that you can change.  Join the hundreds of people in your community and thousands upon thousands across the country that are making small changes that are leading up to making our world a better place for everyone.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Mobilize, Volunteering, Volunteerism | No Comments »