Obama family, administration mark day of service

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President Obama and his family today visited a nonprofit center that provides meals and other services to the poor as part of the drive to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a celebration of volunteerism.

“Dr. King dedicated his life to advancing social justice and equal opportunity for all,” Obama said in a prepared statement. “But more than 40 years after his death, there is still much work left to be done. Through service, we honor his legacy by helping our neighbors, strengthening our communities and meeting the challenges we face together. I encourage all Americans to not only continue Dr. King’s work through service today, but to make service a part of your lives every day.”

Obama was joined by his wife, Michelle, their daughters, Sasha and Malia and Michelle’s mother Marian Robinson in the visit to So Others Might Eat, a soup kitchen and service provider for the homeless in northwest Washington, less than 10 minutes from the White House. The first family served lunch and spoke with about 150 guests.

According to the pool report, Obama, wearing a khaki baseball cap, light blue/white button-down shirt, brown slacks and a green apron, stood in a corner next to the kitchen, at an assembly line station taking photos with other volunteers. Later, he walked along the tables, shaking hands with guests. No formal remarks were made.

According to Emily Van Loon, CFO of So Others Might Eat, today’s guests had no idea the first family would be visiting. She told reporters that one woman, so surprised at being served by the president, broke into tears.

At 11:45 a.m., the president returned to the assembly line station. ‘All right, let’s go to work,’ Obama said. ‘I’m ready!’

As if on cue, a few dozen men filed out of a nearby holding room and the president handed the men paper plates of food and shook their hands, saying alternately to each one, ‘How are you, sir?’ and ‘Good to see you.’

According to the White House, other administration officials and their day of service included:

-- Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner prepared hot and cold food for area shelters at Washington Hebrew Congregation.

-- Atty. Gen. Eric Holder prepared meals for local area homeless at Church of the Epiphany.

-- Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Director of the National Parks Service John Jarvis participated in a cleanup and site beautification project at the D.C. War Memorial on the National Mall.

-- Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius visited and spoke with underprivileged care recipients at an on-site H1N1 clinic at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library.

-- Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood removed trash and participated in a community clean-up project with Living Classrooms near the Navy Yard.

-- Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Corporation for National and Community Service Acting CEO Nicky Goren participated in a school painting and beautification project with City Year at Ron Brown Middle School.

-- Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs Eric Shinseki helped prepare food for distribution to area soup kitchens at D.C. Central Kitchen.

-- Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley participated in an event with Weatherize D.C. to encourage homeowners to weatherize their homes.

-- Peace Corps Director Aaron Williams prepared and served dinner for the homeless at Miriam’s Kitchen.

-- Michael Muskal

Twitter.com/LATimesmuskal