Each year in the United States, to mark the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., we celebrate the MLK Day of Service – the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage Americans to volunteer to improve their communities.

Since 2013, in recognition of the MLK Day of Service, BD associates from across the country have joined together in mid-January in a nationwide service event to pack shelf-stable meals for Rise Against Hunger, to be delivered to hungry and food-insecure people around the world.

As of 2019, BD had packed 730,000 highly nutritious, dehydrated meals comprised of rice, soy, vegetables and 23 essential vitamins and minerals. In 2020, with the help of generous BD volunteers in 16 office locations around the country, we’re proud to share that the company has reached its goal to pack its one millionth meal for Rise Against Hunger.

Local BD associates serve as volunteer coordinators at each participating location – recruiting hundreds of volunteers at each site. Local chapters of the company’s associate resource groups (ARGs) – including the Women’s Initiative Network (WIN) and African Americans at BD (AABD) – also took a lead role in planning and organizing local Rise Against Hunger events.

Today, we thank and congratulate the thousands of BD volunteers who have honored Dr. King’s life and legacy by demonstrating the truth of his famous words “everyone can be great because everyone can serve.”