In the spirit of turning their day off into a day of service, 20 students met at the Wichita Falls Area Food Bank on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to volunteer their time by preparing food items for distribution. Shontesa Jones, multicultural services coordinator, organized the event as the kick off for Human Rights Week.

“Martin Luther King Day always falls at the beginning of Human Rights Week, so it gets everybody mentally prepared to deal with humanity issues,” Jones said. “It’s getting everybody prepared to think of not just you, but everyone.”

Jones said she started working with the food bank last Martin Luther King Jr. Day because it is one of the most universally beneficial non-profit agencies.

“Wichita Falls Food Bank is like a universal station because you’re helping everyone. You’re helping feed thousands of people,” Jones said. “It’s an opportunity to get off campus and come embrace the community because a lot of people are not from Wichita Falls so they have no idea of the various non-profit agencies.”

Tiffany Uke, freshman in biology, said she often tried to volunteer in her hometown of Dallas but was turned down because there were too many volunteers.

“We had senior service where you could either sort clothes or food, but it was full or they wouldn’t let you volunteer,” Uke said. “I’ve never been on this side. I’ve donated cans, but never been on the other side.”

Carl Nnabuife, sophomore in nursing, said he volunteered because he simply likes to help people, citing volunteerism as the reason he is pursuing nursing.

“I volunteered at the hospital back in the summer and I really like helping,” Nnabuife said. “They look so sick and I really wanted to help them.”

Upon entering the food bank, Uke and Nnabuife remarked on the size of the Food Bank.

“I didn’t think it would be so big,” Uke said.

Nnabuife said, “I thought it was only for Wichita Falls. That’s awesome.”

After signing in, the students filed into the back of the food bank where they split into two groups. One to sort fresh produce and the other to sort non-perishables.

“It’ll give them a sense of normalcy to cook food instead of cans,” Uke said as she cleaned packages of fruit snacks along with Nnabuife.

Nnabuife said he didn’t expect to be cleaning fruit snacks, but found the work just as fulfilling as volunteering at the hospital.

“It’s equally fulfilling. This is for the poor and the poor don’t have food so readily,” Nnabuife said. “Even though we’re just wiping off fruit snacks, we’re making a difference.”

Jones said making a difference in the community is what Martin Luther King Jr. Day is all about.

“It’s about giving back to the community, and that’s one thing that Martin Luther King Jr. was stressing when he was alive,” Jones said. “The way that you show love for your fellow man is doing service for them. So it’s not just a day off, it’s a day of service and showing that love for your fellow man.”

Jones said volunteering on Martin Luther King Jr. also embodies the spirit of crossing racial boundaries as King famously advocated for.

“Everyone here is from a different culture,” Jones said. “Even though Martin Luther King was African-American he wasn’t just targeted towards African-Americans. He was targeted towards every human being.”

Jones said the students always end up having fun when they volunteer together.

“It’s fun to see people work together. Some people are seriously stone faced and some people just come in and have a good time and conversation,” Jones said.

Students also have an opportunity to network when they volunteer, as Jones said many different groups show up to volunteer.

“You get to learn something about your fellow students and you’re also establishing a network with your fellow students,” Jones said. “Yes, they volunteered today but they can help you maybe with a job tomorrow or they might be part of an organization that you want to join.”

Members of NAACP came to volunteer wearing matching shirts, and the organization also provided free lunch for the volunteers once they returned to campus. Jordan Branch, junior in social work and student government senator for NAACP, said the civil rights organization wanted to give back to the students who volunteered on Monday.

“Just as we help those in need, we wanted to help those that give their time as well,” Branch said.

Branch said being a social work major helped him learn from the experience.

“Being a social work major, it’s great to see the ground work that goes on,” Branch said. “You have to be humble so you have to see those things so you can appreciate everything you get.”