Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
– Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Community service opportunities for MLK Day
Since 1994, the Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday has been designated as a “day on, not a day off” for community service. One event that I’d like to highlight is “Serve Together in MLK Day” at the Everette Hodge Community Center, located at 15-21 Franklin Street in Kingston, because of the wide age range: ages 6 and up. These free training and information sessions take place on Monday, January 20 and include 45-minute Red Cross Preparedness Trainings at 11 a.m.: Be Red Cross-Ready for ages 16 and up and Masters of Disaster for ages 6 through 15. Citizen CPR is offered at 11:45 a.m. for ages 10 and up. And from 12 noon to 3 p.m., Red Cross Fire Safety Outreach will send out teams to distribute door hangers in area neighborhoods.
For families with very young children, or folks looking for additional options, how about donating some toiletry items, paper products, disposable diapers and other basic-needs items that cannot be purchased with food stamps? The Hodge Community Center will serve as a dropoff location on January 20 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Rosendale Food Pantry, located at 45 James Street in Rosendale, will be open on January 20 from 9 .m. to 1 p.m. For the Pantry’s wish list of items, visit https://rosendalefoodpantry.org.
Our family had a fantastic experience working a volunteer shift recently with Chef Dave at the Caring Hands Soup Kitchen at the Clinton Avenue United Methodist Church, located at 122 Clinton Avenue in Kingston. I highly recommend volunteering there either this week or anytime in the future, as well as donating to its food pantry. I love how the program has evolved to include support for recovery and substance abuse, as well as GED classes.
“The soup kitchen is closed on Monday in honor of MLK Day, but volunteers are needed throughout the week and beyond to help serve lunch weekdays. Please arrive at 10 a.m.; meals are served at noon and cleanup is completed by 1 p.m.”
For more information about Caring Hands, call (845) 331-7188. To learn more opportunities to volunteer locally for the Martin Luther King, Jr. day of service, visit https://mlkday.gov, www.ulstercorps.org and www.allforgood.org.
An MLK Week sampler
Here are some family activities this week that I’d like to highlight.
Bill Robinson’s World of Animals at the Red Hook Firehouse, 42 Firehouse Lane in Red Hook, Fridays, January 17 and February 21 at 6:30 p.m., free. For more information, call (845) 758-3241 or visit https://redhooklibrary.org.
Clearwater Winter Open Boats at the Home Port “barn” at the Hudson River Maritime Museum, 50 Rondout Landing in Kingston, Saturday, January 18 from 4 to 8 p.m., Sunday, February 9 from 2 to 6 p.m. and Saturday, March 15 from 4 to 8 p.m. Visit the sloop, bring a potluck dish to share, enjoy local music, meet the captains and learn about the sloop restoration. For more information, call (845) 265-8080, extension 7105.
Shadow Puppet Theater: “The Other Side of the Jungle,” world folktales with Ronald Sopyla at the Kingston Library, 55 Franklin Street in Kingston, Saturday, January 18 at 10:30 a.m., free. For more information, call (845) 331-0507, extension 7 or visit www.kingstonlibrary.org.
Splat the Cat appearance at Barnes & Noble, 2518 South Road in Poughkeepsie, Sunday, January 19 at 2 p.m., free; also in the final days of Educator Appreciation Week featuring 25 percent off for local educators. For more information, call (845) 485-2224 or visit www.barnesandnoble.com.
The Impossible Knife of Memory: Young Adult author Laurie Halse event at Oblong Books & Music, 6422 Montgomery Street in Rhinebeck, Monday, January 20 at 6 p.m., free. RSVP requested. For more information, call (845) 876-0500 or visit https://oblongbooks.com.
“Planning for College: How to Maximize Your High School Experience” for teens and parents with consultant Sandra Moore at Adriance JLP Pre-Schooler Learning Center, second floor, 93 Market Street in Poughkeepsie, Tuesday, January 21 from 6 to 7:30 p.m., free. For more information, call (845) 485-3445, extension 3320 or visit www.poklib.org.
One Billion Rising event: One Billion Rising movie screening, TMI short reading and dance performance at the Rosendale Theatre, 408 Main Street in Rosendale, Tuesday, January 21 at 7:15 p.m., $20 suggested donation. Strongly suggested for 16 years and older due to intense and sensitive content. For more information, visit https://tmiproject.org.
“Purposeful Parents: The 5 Ms to Scheduling Your Life for Maximum Family Time” with Claire Noorlander Pahucki at Ms. Claire’s Music Cupboard, 8 Factory Street in Montgomery, Saturday, January 18, $97 per couple. For more information, call (845) 522-9652 or visit https://msclaires.com/purposefulparents.
“Raising Children to Love Being Jewish” with Doron Kornbluth at the Hudson Valley Community Center & the Jewish Community Center of Dutchess County, 110 South Grand Avenue in Poughkeepsie, Wednesday, January 22 at 7 p.m., $5 suggested donation. Free babysitting is available. For more information, call (845) 471-0430 or visit www.hvcommunitycenter.com.
Closing Sale at Kid Around children’s store, 114 Partition Street in Saugerties. For more information, call (845) 247-3342 or visit www.facebook.com/kidaround1.
Join the family! 
