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MLK Day of Service: How to Volunteer in Your Community

Here are ways to volunteer on Monday (and beyond) to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

By Celeste Hamilton Dennis

Editor’s note: This article was updated on January 13, 2023

Each year on the third Monday in January, we honor the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a day of service. If you're wondering how you can volunteer in your community or pay a tribute to King, here are a few suggestions:

Volunteers working in a kitchen. Next Avenue, mlk day of service
Volunteers at D.C. Central Kitchen  |  Credit: D.C. Central Kitchen

Find an Opportunity That's Right for You

From preparing meals to planning charity golf events, such websites as Idealist , MLKDay.gov, VolunteerMatch and Points of Light collectively list hundreds of opportunities you can choose from. The Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Civil Rights, part of the Department of the Interior, also has a host of ideas.

Can't find what you're looking for? Try getting in touch with nonprofits in your area that interest you.

You might also check out local chapters of Kiwanis, Habitat for Humanity and the Junior League to see what they'll have going on. For example, you could help sort donated children's books with Kiwanis in Detroit or build a three-bedroom home in Lawrence, Kansas, with Habitat for Humanity.

Many churches, synagogues and colleges will also play host to National Day of Service events open to the public.

Before searching for a way to volunteer on or around the National Day of Service, take a minute to assess your skills and the type of assistance you'd like to offer. You don't want to end up cleaning a shelter when you'd rather be planting trees.

Also consider how much time you can give as well as whether you want this to be an ongoing or one-time commitment. Idealist has a Volunteer Resource Center that can help with these questions and others.

Create Your Own Service Project

Always wanted to paint a mural in your neighborhood or clean up a local park? The National Day of Service is a great excuse to encourage your friends and family to help you get something started.

The Corporation for National and Community Service, the umbrella federal agency that includes Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, the Social Innovation Fund and United We Serve, has several tool kits on how to identify local needs and make an impact. You can also register a project on its website to recruit volunteers.

Volunteer With Your Grandchildren

Since kids are out of school on Monday, that's a perfect opportunity to spend time with your grandchildren volunteering together (and acting as a role model for them).

Local organizations like Mommy Poppins in New York City, will likely have information on family-friendly volunteering opportunities. Youth-focused groups, like Do Something, are also good resources.

A tip: Kids' attention spans can be short. So make sure the activity will be fun for them and capture their interest.

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Become A Part of History

If you have personal stories from the Civil Rights era, take the time to share them.

One way to do this is through StoryCorps, a nonprofit that records the oral histories of Americans, archives them at the Library of Congress and airs them on National Public Radio's Morning Edition. The StoryCorps site also shows you how to record your accounts at home.

Support Civil Rights Institutions

From the King Center in Atlanta to the Highlander Research and Education Center in New Market, Tennesee, near Knoxville, to the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, there are a plethora of locations throughout the country dedicated to the philosophy of nonviolence and the advancement of human rights. Make a visit or donation; they could use your help.

Get Rejuvenated

Some of the good feelings that come with lending a hand on the National Day of Service will fade soon afterward. But they don't have to.

Use the day as a chance to kickstart regular service in your life and commit to making this a year where the inspiring efforts of everyday citizens show up on the front pages.

Celeste Hamilton Dennis works for Idealist, a global nonprofit that helps people move from intention to action. She writes about social innovation for their weekly Idea File column. Read More
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