Limestone Students Provided "Day Of Service" On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Instead of sleeping in on a holiday, Limestone University students kicked off Monday morning by preparing nearly 450 meals for homebound residents.

Limestone sports teams and Gaffney Middle students worked with the University's food service provider Sodexo to package and deliver 445 meals in a partnership with Meals on Wheels. Since 2000, Limestone students have delivered all Meals on Wheels routes in a service project in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

The teams reported to Stephenson Dining Hall on Monday at 8 a.m. to put together meals of pasta, green beans, salad, and bread. An hour later, members of Limestone's soccer, basketball, track and field, cheerleaders, acrobatics and tumbling, field hockey, baseball, and softball teams started meal deliveries on Meals on Wheels routes.

“This was a very good experience,” said Hannah Cook, a Limestone alum who helped coordinate the service project with Meals on Wheels. Cook is now the Assistant to the Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics. “It was great to see so many of our student athletes eagerly show up at 8 a.m. to serve others and make a positive impact on our community by helping with Meals on Wheels.”

The Meals on Wheels partnership has continued to grow as Limestone coaches, staff, and administrators took over weekly routes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Limestone staff are among many community volunteers who continue to provide this much-needed service to help provide food for homebound residents through Meals on Wheels.

“We are really proud to have developed this partnership with Limestone through the years. The neat thing about today is that students are getting an experience they may not have had before,” Cherokee County Meals on Wheels Assistant Director Jennifer Robbins said. “We had Limestone students from all over the world delivering meals to residents in areas they had never been to. Some of the students will return to their hometowns and get involved with their local Meals on Wheels. This makes the impact of their service much bigger than just our community.”

Limestone men’s lacrosse, football, and wrestling teams spent Monday afternoon involved in a campus cleanup, removing debris and picking up trash.

The federal MLK, Jr. holiday has been observed annually nationwide since 1986 on the third Monday in January. For the past five years, Limestone has honored King’s memory through a day of community service.

(Article by Scott Powell, The Gaffney Ledger, January 22, 2025)