On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, dozens of Fort Smith residents stepped up to serve as
volunteers on the annual holiday. Local community members, businesses, and Sebastian
County Parks helped stock and place a mini food pantry with non-perishable food items in
Buckner Park. This project is a partnership between Engage Arkansas, Full Circle FarmCorps,
and Sebastian County Parks.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is the only federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service
to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities. Engage Arkansas is the
state commission responsible for planning and implementing service days statewide. “It is our
honor to answer Dr. King’s call to serve and make a difference in the lives of Arkansas
residents,” said Starr Crow, Civic Engagement Manager for Engage Arkansas. “Service has the
power to bring communities together, help others stand together against hate, build bridges, and
heal divides. Service unites people regardless of race, religion, or zip code. We invite our
community members to act on Dr. King’s legacy of social justice and equity; and recommit by
volunteering with us on MLK Day and throughout the year.”
Arkansas currently ranks one of the highest states in the country for food insecurity rates. Full
Circle FarmCorps is an AmeriCorps program focusing on combating food insecurity through
community gardening and farming, outreach, and education and is a project of the Arkansas
Resource Conservation and Development Council. Full Circle partnered with Sebastian County
Parks to place the free mini pantry in Buckner Park. This pantry is a give what you can, take
what you need pantry. For more information on Full Circle FarmCorps or the free little pantry,
contact [email protected] or follow their Facebook, @FullCircleFarmCorps.
