Every third Monday of January, members of Salt Lake City along with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Human Rights Commission and our Mayor Ralph Becker, celebrates the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service.  During this day of service, community members from schools, churches, and neighborhoods come together to deliver food boxes to Salt Lake City’s elderly community.  Some volunteers even arrive a day early to sort food into to boxes.  I love how people from all over gather together to do something active on their day off of work/school.  In the spirit of Dr. King’s commitment to service, people are still motivated to do something for others in their community who cannot easily “do” for themselves.   

As enthusiastic as I am about this tradition, I wonder about the long-term success of single-day service events. 

 The Pros:

1.       We seem to be more willing to serve our community when commitments are short.  We all very busy against our wills and brief, individual service opportunities give us the ability to bring some joy and meaning into our lives.

2.       Perhaps these events act as hooks.  If participants have positive experiences the first time, are they more likely to serve in the following year?  Do these events expose individuals to problems in their community that they will consequently become passionate about?  (My personal answer to this question is a big “yes!”  I can attribute my devotion to community service to a Habitat for Humanity Alternative Spring Break.  I enjoyed the experience so much that soon after I joined a handful of other groups and organizations in order to get my service fix!)

The Cons:

1.       What if it snows?  It did snow on January 21, 2008 and many volunteers risked their safety to participate.  Others, reasonably, did not.  There were food boxes that didn’t get delivered on MLK day and I feel very sympathetic to those who did not receive expected groceries or company that day.  In some cases, one-time service events can be very risky especially when there is a serious need that must be met. 

2.       What does the population in need do every other day of the year?  There are, of course, programs in Salt Lake City to alleviate elderly and disabled peoples’ food insecurity such as the Utah Food Bank’s Food Assistance program and Salt Lake County Aging Services’ Meal on Wheels program.  I worry that the volunteers and employees assigned with these tasks are not able to spend quality time with their “clients” due to a need that is greater than the assistance available. 

I assume that people who are homebound, lonely, and willing to let complete strangers into their homes likely feel the effects on their happiness and stability.   Unfortunately, many of us are unable to take on the responsibility of continuous service to lessen those effects.  Perhaps advocating more days off work that we can devote to single-day service opportunities is a partial solution to the ‘lack of time’ problem!  Finally, I think that the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service gives individuals personal experiences with others that will enable them to potentially experience compassion, to gain knowledge, and to gain respect for and from our elderly and disabled neighbors. 

Picture from: http://www.istc.org/sisp/index.htm?fx=event&event_id=46423