Colby College student Adaobi Nebuwa, 22, left, and Jonathan Fisher, right, also of Colby, fill bags Jan. 15, 2024, with personal care items for those in need, at the Bill & Joan Alfond Main Street Commons at 150 Main St. in downtown Waterville, as part of the local commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Colby is set to host a series of events Monday to mark the day, in addition to another celebration planned for Waterville. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel file

WATERVILLE — A community breakfast, speeches and opportunities to donate gloves, socks and personal care items to those in need are among the events planned for Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday in downtown Waterville and at Colby College.

Colby is set to host a breakfast at its campus on Mayflower Hill, and people can donate items at the Chace Community Forum at the Bill & Joan Alfond Main Street Commons at 150 Main St.

In a separate event, Elizabeth Leonard, an author, retired Colby professor and member of the Poor People’s Campaign, is expected to lead a group walk from Veterans Memorial Park at the corner of Park and Elm streets to the Waterville Area Soup Kitchen to donate gloves and sock, and then continue to Castonguay Square, next to City Hall, for speeches. Those attending are asked to bring gloves and socks, if they are able, for soup kitchen guests.

Leonard said those who want to help commemorate the uniquely transitional life of King and his “amazing gifts and contributions to our nation and our history” are asked to gather at the park at 11:30 a.m. Monday and bring relevant signs to display and carry. Plans call for the group to walk to the soup kitchen at 38 College Ave. to deliver the socks and gloves, and then proceed to City Hall, where the event is expected to end at about 1 p.m.

Also as part of Monday’s events, the Elm City Community Music School at 17 Railroad Square is set to host a one-hour freedom song sing-along from 1 to 2 p.m. to honor King.

Members of the Colby College community — Suheir Alaskari, left, Jessica Wilbur, Abi Dolloff and Jonathan Fisher — fill bags with personal care items for those in need, during a day of service Jan. 15, 2024, at the Bill & Joan Alfond Main Street Commons at 150 Main St. in downtown Waterville. The event was part of the college’s commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel file

At 9 a.m., a community breakfast is planned at Page Commons on the Colby campus. Participants are expected to honor King’s legacy, and student David Tawiah and Katherine Altizer, a visiting assistant professor, are to deliver a musical performance.

Maine state Rep. Mana Abdi, D-Lewiston, is scheduled to address the group, according to information provided by Colby. Abdi, the first Somali American elected to the Maine House of Representatives, serves in the office of intercultural education at Bates College in Lewiston. She is expected to share insights from her work with the Maine People’s Alliance and talk about her efforts to build just, safe and collaborative communities.

Colby’s Office of Civic Engagement launched a Day of Service Project to support the Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter by collecting donations of personal care items from Dec. 9 through Jan. 20. The donations are to be delivered to the Chace Forum on Monday and Tuesday, and staff members are expected to help sort the items Wednesday and Friday.

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