MLK Jr. Day of Service, Pt 1: Weekend Backpacks for Homeless Kids

Today is MLK Jr Day, the federal holiday established in 1986 to commemorate the birthday of the slain civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr., who would have turned 91 last Wednesday. For the past 25 years, the national observance of the MLK holiday has been associated with A Day of Service, a campaign to honor Dr. King's legacy of non-violent struggle for social justice by encouraging people to take part in meaningful volunteer efforts to benefit their community. As the campaign reminds Americans on each MLK Day of Service, "Make it a day on, not a day off."On Midday today, we meet some local examplars of that Day of Service ethic, who have taken the lead in efforts to make Baltimore a better place to live.In this first of three conversations, Tom talks with Sandie Nagel, a community-minded activist who founded Weekend Backpacks for Homeless Kids five years ago to address the unmet nutritional needs of many of the city's homeless and impoverished public schoolchildren. Joining Ms. Nagel in the studio is the group's vice president, Leslie Monfred, a retired nurse.This conversation was live-streamed on WYPR's Facebook page. Watch the video here, from the start through 12:26 on the feed.Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.