By Carol Britton Meyer

The Hull No Place for Hate Committee is sponsoring a food drive to benefit Wellspring Multi-Service Center’s food pantry as part of A Day of Service and Remembrance on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The event will take place on Jan. 15 at Wellspring, 814 Nantasket Ave., from noon to 2 p.m. This is an opportunity for the community to gather together to donate food items for Aunt Dot’s Kitchen and to participate in a program featuring poetry, a slideshow, resources about the history of this national holiday, and light refreshments.

“Food is a basic right. No one should go hungry,” Wellspring President and CEO Vinny Harte told The Hull Times. “When HNPFH approached Wellspring about what the focus of this event should be, the response is always food or sustenance. People cannot function at school or work when they are hungry or food insecure. With organizations like Wellspring and HNPFH working together with the community, there is no reason anyone should go hungry.”

Giving back to the community

This day of service, commemorated by many, “is not just about talking about Martin Luther King, but also about living who he was and giving back to the community,” HNPFH Committee member Paula Nesoff told The Hull Times. “Wellspring is such a treasured and well-used social service agency, serving a wide variety of people.”

Nesoff – along with Deb Bayer, Sandie Baler-Segal, Deb Greenstein, Meryl Johnson, and Jim Ianiri – is part of the HNPFH working group organizing the event.

HNPFH is pleased about the number of local groups and entities that are endorsing and participating in this “day of joyful giving” as well as spreading the word.

They include the Hull Select Board, Hull Lifesaving Museum, Hull Pride, Hull Artists, The Anchor of Hull, Friends of Nantasket Beach, Hull Nantasket Chamber of Commerce, the Hull American Legion, Rotary, Lions, and Knights of Columbus, the Anne M. Scully Senior Center, Friends of the Paragon Carousel, the United Church of Christ in Norwell, the Weir River Watershed Association, and the Hull Land Conservation Trust.

‘A natural merging of different groups’

Some HNPFH members belong to a number of these organizations, which resulted in “a natural merging of different groups in the community,” Nesoff said. “We’re very fortunate to have these connections.”

An ongoing slideshow will feature excerpts from King’s moving 1963 “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” where he was imprisoned as a participant in nonviolent demonstrations against segregation.

“This is a piece rich in some of his most outstanding quotes,” Bayer said. King wrote the letter in longhand in response to a public statement of concern and caution issued by eight white religious leaders of the South.

One of the most popular quotes from that letter is that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” which Nesoff said brings out a sense of “interconnectedness.”

Guest speakers will include Margaret Dawson, who has served on the Norwell United Church of Christ’s racial justice ministry team, and Jean Holley, who has served on the UCC’s mission and outreach team, beginning at 12:30 p.m. following introductions by Harte and HNPFH Chair Val Carlson.

Short videos of King’s famous civil rights speech will be shown, and educational resources will be available for those interested in learning more about the history of King and the civil rights movement.

Poetry readings by Hull students

In addition, the working group reached out to Hull students, who will read poetry appropriate for the occasion, along with NPFH members.

“During the hour-long program, those attending will hear Martin Luther King’s words, and we will ask people to share a thought or memory of the impact he has had on their own lives,” according to Nesoff, and also what MLK Jr. Day means to those participating in the event.

The overall commemoration, including the community service, “is a way for Hull to pay tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. in a very tangible way and to live in accordance with his example,” she said.

“After the holiday Toys for Tots collections and the incredible Thanksgiving meal served in Hull, the HNPFH Committee wanted to continue with that understanding – that we are inextricably bound to and need each other,” according to Nesoff.

The focus is that building bridges increases communication.

“Dr. King spoke so loudly for civil rights, and it is vital that all communities keep his dream alive. There is too much hate and ignorance in our communities, and we must work together to overcome the intolerance,” Harte said.

Bayer and all those involved are looking forward to the event.

“It should be an uplifting day,” she said.

Food items requested by Aunt Dot’s Kitchen, which serves Hull residents, include canned and boxed meals, stews, soups, chili, tuna, canned chicken, ham, and Spam, vegetables, macaroni and cheese, tomato sauces, pasta, rice, cereal, peanut butter, jelly, granola bars, juice, cooking oil, maple syrup, condiments, and coffee.

Toiletry needs include shampoo and conditioner, toothpaste and toothbrushes, soap, toilet paper, laundry detergent, dish detergent, disposable razors, and shaving cream.

Items may be dropped off at Wellspring during the Jan. 15 event and also on Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., when food deliveries are accepted. For larger donations, a call ahead is appreciated.

“The need is always growing for many families and individuals, and Wellspring has never turned anyone away due to a lack of food,” Harte said. “If you are hungry, come to Wellspring. We promise [to assist you with] dignity and compassion.”

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