Today is Martin Luther King Jr Day. It’s the observed holiday to celebrate his birthday. It has been labeled as a “Day of Service” and is the only federal holiday to be designated this. This man spent most of his 39 years of life in service to others before his tragic assassination. On this day, many places are closed and most people have time off from work. Volunteering may not always be in the cards for people to take part in on this day. But there are other ways to give along with choosing to volunteer on another day.
There are many local and national not-for-profit organizations. These are organizations that are for everyday people. They are for people who may be suffering in any type of way. It’s for the disadvantaged to receive some type of assistance. And, it’s for continuing to tell the storie of our history in a unbiased manner. Here are a few of them you can donate to or even volunteer for…
- Local Public Libraries
- Habitat for Humanity
- National Museum for African American History and Culture
- The Boys and Girls Club of America
- American Civil Liberties Union
- UNICEF
- March of Dimes
- St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital
- Feeding America
- American Heart Association
- Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Foundation
- Doctors without Borders
- American Red Cross
- The King Center
For those of you who are in New York, here are a few additional organizations. These are not all of them, but it’s a few that have a great vision for the people they serve.
- Citymeals on Wheels
- Food Bank for New York City
- Covenant House
- Children of Promises, NYC
- CityHarvest NYC
- New York Cares
So, on this day may we remember the story of Martin Luther King Jr and all he did to help others. Let’s continue to be kind to one another. But most importantly let’s remember to think about each other. There is always someone out in the world who needs help and having ‘giving energy’ can go a long way.