As an AmeriCorps volunteer, Virginia Peoples couldn't think of a better way to celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday than service.

"We're all equal, that's (King's) basic message," Peoples, 32, of Ogden, said. "I think it's great for me to be here and out giving to people in need."

Peoples was among nearly 260 people who marked the holiday at the Utah Food Bank, delivering 200 boxes of food to elderly and disabled individuals or sorting fresh produce.

To West High student Khoa Pham, 17, King's message means self-sacrifice for the betterment of society.

"If we all just help out a little bit, the world would be a better place," he said.

At the Food Bank, Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson welcomed the volunteers, saying King "would be here with us today, on the ground, in the trenches, to help those in need."

Other Utah events also focused on celebrating and emulating King's legacy.

In Ogden, the holiday started with a prayer service, followed by a march and rally to the Ogden City Amphitheater.

In Provo, students and community members braved frigid temperatures to participate in an after-sunset candlelight vigil at Brigham Young University honoring King's memory.

Following a processional across campus, participants gathered to listen to a speech by Michael Styles, director of the Utah Office of Ethnic Affairs and the Martin Luther King Human Rights Commission.

King's legacy should be celebrated 365 days a year, Styles told audience members.

"Be committed, not just involved," he said. "There's a difference (between the two). It's like an egg and bacon breakfast: The chicken was involved, the pig was committed."

While America has come a long way toward an egalitarian society since King's day, Styles recounted a story that emphasized the continual need to fight racism as King did.

In the late '70s, Styles' parents moved into their dream house in Salt Lake City after working long hours for years to raise enough money. However, their soon-to-be neighbors decided they didn't want a black family in the neighborhood. They attempted to impede the family's efforts to purchase the home, and, after they moved in, threatening phone calls became routine.

One night, Styles' father picked up the phone and heard a chilling message: "If you don't move out of your house, we're going to burn it down with you in it."

Styles' father decided it was time to leave, but his mother was undaunted by the threat.

"She said: 'We've fought too hard. This is our dream. This is the American dream,"' Styles said. "My mother is still in that house. She took a stand. She's a hero."