For the first time in the school community, LT is partnering with Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) to host a MobilePack event this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, in order to honor Dr. King’s legacy of service and giving back. 

FMSC is a non-profit organization which coordinates the packing and distribution of food to those in need. Many schools, teams, clubs, and other groups or organizations work with FMSC to do service work. Typically, a maximum of 70-80 people can be a part of a group volunteering at the center. However, finding an opening to bring a group on such a popular day for service as Martin Luther King Jr. Day can be very difficult, Principal Jennifer Tyrrell said. 

In light of this, LT has decided to take advantage of FMSC’s MobilePack program, in which the organization comes to a specific location, in this case SC, Superintendent Brian Waterman said. Students or staff members can sign up for shifts to pack food for those in need around the world, either individually or with a club or athletic team. 

“I think sometimes people say, ‘I want to help,’ or ‘I want to do something,’ or ‘I want to serve,’ but they don’t necessarily have an opportunity to just jump into a specific project,” Tyrrell said. “That’s what is so great about this: there’s a lot of opportunities for students to get involved because there’s a lot of spots here that we need to fill for packing at the event.”

This event will occur on Jan. 16, 2023 and will act as an impactful service project on a nationally recognized day of service, SC Associate Principal Greg Gardner said. There will be two three-hour shifts, which each have 240 openings. A total of 480 individuals can get involved, with a goal of packing 100,000 meals overall. 

“I think our students, time and time again, have proven that they want to serve, they want to give, that they have an appetite for making the world a better place,” Tyrrell said. “Sometimes that starts within the community, and sometimes those efforts extend beyond the community.”

LT hopes to expand this event in future years to allow more people to participate, and to do more good in the community, Gardner said. It is expected that all of the available slots to volunteer will be filled. 

“We’re fortunate to be part of a community that feels grateful for what we’ve been blessed with, and we want to extend that to other people,” Waterman said. “That’s why I think people like to get involved.” 

This partnership with FMSC will do immense good for those in need around the world, but it will also bring students and staff together as an entire LT community, Gardner said. 

“It’s a great opportunity to unite, to come together, to serve, and to recognize and honor a really important day by giving back,” Tyrrell said. “I think it’s really a special thing, and I’m looking forward to seeing our students being excited about this opportunity.”

Currently, LT is accepting donations to fund this event. Anyone interested in donating to or participating in the event can find more information on the LT website.