Household chores became labors of love Monday for local volunteers celebrating the spirit of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Five who represent local schools in the America Reads Mississippi literacy program wiped countertops and dusted baseboards at Waters Youth Foundation Boys’ Shelter in Vicksburg. The job ended in prayer.

“We do five service projects a year and this one was to honor Dr. King,” said volunteer Sharunda Flagg, a regular volunteer who represents Sherman Avenue and Bowmar Elementary schools in the AmeriCorps literacy program for five national service days — the King holiday, Read Across America Day in March, National Global Youth Day in April, National AmeriCorps week in May and Make a Difference Day in October.

The volunteer “clean team” consisted of Flagg, Marita Smith, who works at Vicksburg Intermediate; Mychal Winters, who works at Dana Road Elementary; Ria Judge, assistant principal at Sherman Avenue; and volunteer director Lillian Porter.

A squeaky-clean kitchen and fresh-scented study room for the six boys who live in the facility was a godsend for activities coordinator Daniel Jennings.

“It’s those things we sometimes just don’t have a chance to do,” he said of the shelter, staffed by two to three people by day. It’s definitely in the spirit of the holiday today.”

A reading room affords boys time to meet the written word between such outings as fishing and horseback riding.

“We try to create a foundation and help them become men,” Jennings said.

The clean sweep was part of local holiday observances over the weekend starting with the downtown parade Saturday, a scholarship breakfast at Vicksburg Convention Center, a prayer service at the King memorial site at Openwood and Main streets and an evening event keynoted by civil rights attorney Sandra Jaribu Hill.

More than 200 attended the breakfast, but only one woman showed up at the midmorning event at the memorial.