MLK Day of Service, Jan. 18, 2021

The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on January 18, 2021, is the 26th anniversary of the day of service that celebrates the Civil Rights leader’s life and legacy. Observed each year on the third Monday in January as “a day on, not a day off,” MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities.

For the past five years, Shorecrest participated in the St. Petersburg Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Dream Big Parade and considered our school’s impact on the African American community. Our participation in the Parade was a great opportunity to get Chargers and their families involved in an activity in which they may not have otherwise engaged.

Despite the Parade being postponed (tentatively to June 19), the Shorecrest community has the opportunity to make an even greater impact on St. Petersburg by increasing our commitment to service in Pinellas County.

Although Shorecrest’s service program has been amended by the pandemic, the school remains committed to assisting our local community through safe and impactful service. On Monday, January 18, we invite Shorecrest community members to serve with The Kind Mouse, a local food pantry serving families and children in need. Schools are an important source of meals for many families in Pinellas County, and when schools close or go virtual, many children and families are forced to go hungry.

Kind Mouse is one of dozens of community partners that work with us each year to provide our students with service learning opportunities, our teachers with real world applications of what is being taught in our classrooms and our partners with assistance in a time of urgent need. We hope Shorecrest community members can join us in serving with Kind Mouse and making the vision of MLK Day a reality through service. 

Three shifts will be available on Monday, January 18, a day when school is not in session, with only four spots in each shift:

• 10-12pm
• 1-3pm
• 3-5pm

You must register by January 15, 1pm at: https://thekindmouse.org/volunteers. Please reach out to Mayra Medina with any questions at [email protected].

If spaces fill or you are not available at the given times, please find other opportunities for safely helping the community on the Service section of shorecrest.org.