Monday, January 18, is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and Chapel Hill and Hillsborough are both hosting marches to mark the occasion. Chapel Hill’s begins at 9 am with a rally at Peace and Justice Plaza, then continues to First Baptist Church on Roberson Street for an 11 am worship service; Hillsborough’s march begins at 9 am in front of the historic Orange County Courthouse at the corner of Churton and King Streets, then continues to Mt. Bright Baptist Church on Union Street for a service at 10:00.
But MLK Day is not just for marches and rallies: it’s also being set aside as a day for public service – “a day on, not a day off” – and a wide variety of charities and nonprofits in our area are holding special events.
In Durham, the organization Book Harvest is gearing up for its biggest event of the year: the “Dream Big Book Drive,” in which volunteers collect book donations to distribute to area kids. Book Harvest has collected more than 340,000 books since its founding in 2011, including 85,000 at the “Dream Big” drives alone. Last year’s drive brought in more than 25,000 books in a single afternoon. (This year, Carrboro mayor Lydia Lavelle officially declared Monday to be “Book Harvest Dream Big Book Drive Day.”)
This year’s “Dream Big” drive takes place from 1-4 pm at Durham Central Park, 501 Foster Street. Book Harvest operations manager Daniele Berman says 300 volunteers will be on hand to help collect your donations of new and gently used books. (She says Book Harvest distributes books to children and teens up to 18 years old, but they’re especially in need of books for toddlers and pre-K kids.)
Daniele Berman and her son Luke Jackson joined Aaron Keck on WCHL.
Also on Monday afternoon, Orange Habitat for Humanity is hosting an Interfaith Build in Efland – bringing people of many different faiths together to build a home for a neighbor in need. Inspired by the lives of Deah Barakat, Yusor Abu-Salha, and Razan Abu-Salha, the three students killed last February in Finley Forest, the Interfaith Build will unite volunteers from seven different local religious organizations, including three UNC groups. (Participating organizations: Kehillah Synagogue, Judea Reform, St. Matthews Episcopal Church, Carolina Friends School, UNC Muslim Student Association, Campus Crusade for Christ, and UNC Hillel.)
Everyone’s welcome to the Interfaith Build’s kickoff event on Monday, which gets under way with lunch at 12:30 and a special program at 1:00. It’ll take place at 323 School House Road in Efland, in Habitat’s Tinnin Woods community.
Orange Habitat’s director of development Jennifer Player and four Interfaith Build volunteers joined Aaron Keck on WCHL.
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