MLK Day Service Projects: How To Help In Waltham

Waltham MA

15 January, 2021

2:07 PM

Description

WALTHAM, MA — Since it became a national holiday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day has been dubbed by groups and organizations nationwide as "a day on" as opposed to a "day off" in memory of the late civil rights icon and his tireless work. Organized service projects and activism have taken the place of the traditional holiday in recent years. In 2021, restrictions in place to slow the further spread of the coronavirus mean the good deeds and activism will look different on the Jan. 18 holiday. Brandeis University is holding its 11th Annual MLK Interfaith Day of Service from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. through social justice discussions and advocacy projects. Instead of in person, all of this will be held online: Register for the event online in advance. Before the coronavirus pandemic, communities across the country held large events in various locations promoting service on the holiday. Those have included Boston, where a local volunteer organization Boston Cares usually draws hundreds every year to a service program that has turned into one of the city's signature yearly events. This year, the Boston Cares will hold virtual A Day ON, Not Off program for MLK Day. "To continue our tradition of honoring Dr.King's legacy through service in 2021, Boston Cares will host a Community Weekend of virtual opportunities focused on ways to serve and improve our community through educational opportunities, discussions about community issues, volunteer trainings, and remote service," according to the group's website. And as always there are several other ways to help those in need in or near Waltham. Donating to nonprofit organizations, volunteering with food banks and pantries, and delivering meals and groceries to seniors are a few suggestions outlined by the national volunteer program AmeriCorps. A list of organizations supporting COVID-19 response efforts had been made available by the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster.