How volunteers made a difference on MLK Day of Service

January 20, 2025

The event, which is a partnership between UM-Dearborn and Henry Ford College, included more than 20 volunteer sites at the university and throughout the metro area.

Students volunteer at Eternal Light during the MLK Day of Service on Jan. 20, 2025.
Students volunteer at Eternal Light during the MLK Day of Service on Jan. 20, 2025.

UM-Dearborn's 32nd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service hosted 350 volunteers on Jan. 20, who served at 20-plus sites at UM-Dearborn and in the community.

Volunteers had the option to serve in person or work remotely to support community agencies like Cass Community Social Services, Gleaners Community Food Bank, Eternal Light and Bear Hug Detroit.

The MLK Day of Service is followed by a week of events that highlight King and the importance of continued social justice work. Check those out here.

Below are a few photo highlights of the day taken by UM-Dearborn photographer Annie Barker.


 

Environmental Interpretive Center Program Coordinator Dorothy McLeer leads the no-sew blanket project during the MLK Day of Service at the James C. Renick University Center.

 

 

UM-Dearborn Assistant Director of Student Conduct Ryan Neloms, left, and Henry Ford College Assistant to the Dean of STEM Sarah Kigar pose for a photo in the UM-Dearborn Student Food Pantry.

 

 

Chancellor Domenico Grasso speaks to volunteers assembling meals for the Kids Coalition Against Hunger.

 

At the Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit, Kendrick the dog looks for peanut butter and Linus the cat waves.

 

UM-Dearborn junior Maddie Chervenak organizes personal hygiene kits at the Renick University Center. “People love to get to know each other and work together,” Chervenak said.

 

UM-Dearborn senior Destiny Madkin leads the Bear Hug Detroit group in making stuffed animals at the Renick University Center.

 

Volunteers participate in the Civil Rights Movement Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon at the Mardigian Library.

 

UM-Dearborn Athletic Director Bryan Earl, left in baseball cap, works with his son Carson Earl, 9, right, to assemble meals for the Kids Coalition Against Hunger during the MLK Day of Service.