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As we celebrate the Martin Luther King holiday today, lots of us are busy rolling up our sleeves and pitching in to help our neighbors. In remembrance of Dr. King’s contribution to America, many schools, churches and other organizations across the nation have set aside this day as a day of community service.
If you have time off with your kids today, you can take the opportunity to go through your pantry and see what non-perishable items you can donate to a food bank, or perform some other act of community service in the spirit of the famed civil rights leader. It is this type of positive can-do attitude that changed our country for the better in the 1960s and can continue to show our kids how to make a difference today.
Many acts of community service are food related. That’s no coincidence. Food has the power to create connections among people. Whether it's working in a soup kitchen, teaching young children how to plant a fresh vegetable garden, or delivering meals to home bound senior citizens, there are so many ways to help out and put some food on someone’s tables. Together with your kids, performing a food related act of service is a great way to think of others in your area that might be in need, and give back to the community.
Food banks have historically received the greatest amount of goods during holiday canned food drives. But the issue for them is that they start to run out of that surplus in the New Year, when fewer people are donating. So you can help keep that donation stream going and get your kitchen organized, killing two birds with one stone.
The top food bank needs include proteins such as canned chicken or tuna, nut butters, dried beans, nutritious soups and stews, grain based foods like pasta and rice, boxed cereal and oatmeal, canned fruits and veggies, 100% juice and shelf stable milk.
With tight family budgets, it can be hard to find extra wiggle room for donations. One method is to take advantage of great coupons and buy-one-get-one-free offers at the store and donate the “free” items. A local store that just opened in our area has been sending weekly coupons for free items. This has been a great way to ensure that I often have something to put in the food pantry bin that is kept at the front of the gym.
In a house with growing children, it’s pretty common to find a couple extra boxes pantry staples of mac & cheese or peanut butter in the back of the pantry that are set to expire in the next few months. And if you happen to find an extra bag of pecans in the pantry, you can also try making a delicious pie for your family to enjoy. Martin Luther King was known to love southern food, especially pie, with his favorite being pecan pie.
The secret to making a good pecan pie is to chop some of the pecans so that they can be more evenly distributed. Make an extra to share with your neighbors and continue the spirit of community in remembrance of the peaceful civil rights leader, Dr. King.
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/1222-food-banks/
Taking a Day to Give Back
If you have time off with your kids today, you can take the opportunity to go through your pantry and see what non-perishable items you can donate to a food bank, or perform some other act of community service in the spirit of the famed civil rights leader. It is this type of positive can-do attitude that changed our country for the better in the 1960s and can continue to show our kids how to make a difference today.
Many acts of community service are food related. That’s no coincidence. Food has the power to create connections among people. Whether it's working in a soup kitchen, teaching young children how to plant a fresh vegetable garden, or delivering meals to home bound senior citizens, there are so many ways to help out and put some food on someone’s tables. Together with your kids, performing a food related act of service is a great way to think of others in your area that might be in need, and give back to the community.
Food banks have historically received the greatest amount of goods during holiday canned food drives. But the issue for them is that they start to run out of that surplus in the New Year, when fewer people are donating. So you can help keep that donation stream going and get your kitchen organized, killing two birds with one stone.
The top food bank needs include proteins such as canned chicken or tuna, nut butters, dried beans, nutritious soups and stews, grain based foods like pasta and rice, boxed cereal and oatmeal, canned fruits and veggies, 100% juice and shelf stable milk.
With tight family budgets, it can be hard to find extra wiggle room for donations. One method is to take advantage of great coupons and buy-one-get-one-free offers at the store and donate the “free” items. A local store that just opened in our area has been sending weekly coupons for free items. This has been a great way to ensure that I often have something to put in the food pantry bin that is kept at the front of the gym.
In a house with growing children, it’s pretty common to find a couple extra boxes pantry staples of mac & cheese or peanut butter in the back of the pantry that are set to expire in the next few months. And if you happen to find an extra bag of pecans in the pantry, you can also try making a delicious pie for your family to enjoy. Martin Luther King was known to love southern food, especially pie, with his favorite being pecan pie.
The secret to making a good pecan pie is to chop some of the pecans so that they can be more evenly distributed. Make an extra to share with your neighbors and continue the spirit of community in remembrance of the peaceful civil rights leader, Dr. King.
Easy Karo Pecan Pie
Made with pecan halves, vanilla extract, pie shell, eggs, corn syrup, sugar, margarine
Made with pecan halves, vanilla extract, pie shell, eggs, corn syrup, sugar, margarine
Serves/Makes: 8
- 1 (9" size) unbaked pie shell
- 3 eggs, slightly beaten
- 1 cup light or dark corn syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons margarine, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup pecan halves
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a pie plate with the pie pastry.
Combine the eggs, corn syrup, sugar, melted margarine, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until well blended. Stir in the pecans by hand.
Pour the pecan filling into the pie shell. Place in the oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 50-55 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Remove the pecan pie from the oven and let cool.
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©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/1222-food-banks/