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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (Jan. 9, 2018) — Nearly 200 Milligan College students will begin the semester in service as they volunteer throughout the community on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 15.
The students will be packing food for those in need, supporting construction projects for low-income families and helping local charities and nonprofits with upkeep at their own mission facilities, in preparation to serve others.
“This day of service allows our students the chance to put our mission of preparing men and women to be servant-leaders into action,” said Milligan President Dr. Bill Greer. “And it is a fitting way to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who modeled servant-leadership himself.”
Milligan’s athletics teams are partnering with Boones Creek Christian Church in Johnson City, Tennessee, to undertake a large food distribution opportunity to help Haiti as they recover from Hurricane Matthew. Athletes will break up into groups and work in shifts to pack 12,000 individual meals—composed of soy, dried vegetables, chicken powder and white rice—into airtight plastic packaging that will be distributed by House of Hope, a Christian ministry in Haiti.
Led by Carrie Gunning, Boones Creek recently completed its first year as a satellite mission for “Kids Against Hunger,” packing over 200,000 meals.
“It’s wonderful to be able to do this because we’re feeding a lot of people,” said Gunning, “and it’s about the ministry and love that goes along with that when you hand those meals out.”
More students will participate in projects at:
- Appalachian Service Project, Johnson City, which serves central Appalachia through organizing home repair and replacement projects. Students will help ASP organize tools in their central warehouse to mobilize mission groups more quickly.
- Camp Bays Mountain, Kingsport, Tennessee, is a Christian camp and retreat ministry. Students will assist with cleaning up trails, as well as the camp facilities.
- Good Samaritan Ministries, Inc., Johnson City, seeks to end poverty with various charitable services. Students will be assisting in various ways, including helping pack food for distribution.
- Holston Habitat for Humanity, Johnson City, helps to build houses in partnership with those who have limited financial resources. Milligan’s Goah Diversity Scholars, who help shape campus culture and regularly participate in service projects in the community, will assist Habitat with building walls in a low-income home.