A Day On, Not a Day Off: Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service

More than 700 students, faculty, staff, alumni, and their families participated in Pitt’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service: A Day On, Not a Day Off on Jan. 18.

Volunteers worked on service projects at the William Pitt Union and at 28 off-campus community sites. Among the on-campus activities were making quilts and sleeping mats for the homeless; stocking backpacks with food to ensure low-income children have enough food on weekends; and packing activity bags for children who are in the hospital. Along with Pitt contributors, state Senator Jay Costa—a Pitt trustee—and his office staff collected food for the backpack project, and helped with the on-site packing.

Off-campus projects included painting and cleaning at the Stephen Foster Community Center in Lawrenceville, packing and cleaning computers at the nonprofit Computer Reach in Point Breeze, and visiting the elderly at the Southwestern Veterans Center, Highland Park. 

“This is our largest MLK Day of Service ever, and it was great to make a positive impact in the communities we serve in the Pittsburgh region,” said Angie Gordon, assistant director of the Office of PittServes. “The students, staff, faculty, and alumni really embraced the ‘a day on, not a day off.’”