According to no less an authority than the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?" King, inspired by Jesus Christ and Mahatma Gandhi, dedicated his life to following in their footsteps by helping as many people as possible. Now, a table tennis club in Surrey, England is working to carry their altruistic torch forward. The Brighton Table Tennis Club (BTTC) has long been active in serving its community in southern England. In 2018, we first reported on their prison outreach program, following up last year with more good news from their life-changing program. This year, we reported on the BTTC's Daily Show, an online meeting for the clubs members who would otherwise be isolated at home due to the COVID-19 lockdown. The collaborative variety show features everything from table tennis lessons and group workouts to musical numbers and cooking shows. Speaking of cooking, the BTTC is now helping those in greatest need put food on the table. Working with Brighton food banks, the club members have set up a food distribution hub open every weekday afternoon. They even offer delivery service to those in need. During the first week alone, the club fed over 500 people. "We couldn’t have got this up and running so quickly without a fantastic effort by BTTC volunteers," said club director Tim Holtam, adding that the paddlers had "traded ping pong for another kind of social outreach in partnership with a host of other organisations who, like us, are committed to supporting those in greatest need during these difficult times." According to Brighton and Hove News, the BTTC works "to help build communities by working with the widest range of local people, including looked after children, the elderly, people with mental health issues, travellers, the homeless, prisoners, newly arrived refugees and migrants." While just about everything in the world has a heightened degree of uncertainty these days, the Brighton Table Tennis Club can at least answer life's most persistent and urgent question.
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