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Local Civics: Where To Volunteer This MLK Day

Posted on January 11, 2024   |   Updated on September 30, 2025
Kaela Cote-Stemmermann

Kaela Cote-Stemmermann

MLK Jr. Memorial on the Tidal Basin.

MLK Jr. Memorial on the Tidal Basin. (jpellgen (@1105_jp)/Flickr)

City Cast

Chinatown Task Force, New Speeding Crackdown, and MLK Day of Service

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Martin Luther King Jr. Day is coming up on Jan. 15. It might be a day off, but it’s also a great time to make a social impact. We talked with local nonprofit NEST4US about where to volunteer this MLK Day and added a few ideas of our own.

Volunteers at this community event can choose between various service projects like organizing notes of kindness, grocery bags, brunch bags, and gratitude bags.

When: 12-2 p.m.

Location: Damascus, MD

Help the National Park Service remove invasive plants on beloved local trails.

When: 10 a.m. -12 p.m.

Location: Teddy Roosevelt Island

Join Open Crumb’s Breadcoin team for the day! Volunteers will pass out breadcoins – which work like gift certificates at participating food vendors – and educate the community on how to use them.

When: 12 - 2 p.m.

Location: Anacostia

Volunteer trash cleanup along the Anacostia.

Volunteer trash cleanup along the Anacostia. (Chesapeake Bay Program/Flickr)

Head to the waterfront for Anacostia Riverkeepers’ annual MLK Day of Service cleanup. Bring your boots!

When: 9:30 or 11:30 a.m.

Location: Greenway

Join local non-profit NEST4US as volunteers pick up donations and drop them off at various DMV shelters and food banks.

When: 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Location: Damascus, MD

If you don’t get MLK Day off but want to volunteer, this opportunity is the day before. Help local nonprofit DC Central Kitchen prepare and distribute food to combat hunger in the District.

When: 9 a.m., Jan. 14

Location: Navy Yard

For more DMV service opportunities, check out AmeriCorps, Volunteer Arlington, and Volunteer Alexandria for ideas!

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