MLK Day Service Projects: How To Help Near Westford

WESTFORD, 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 this year on Jan. 18.

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 a 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.

The Mission Continues organization, meanwhile, is supporting The Greater Boston Food Bank with in-person volunteer work. Volunteers work in our warehouse, inspecting, sorting, and repacking donated food and grocery products.

And as always there are several other ways to help those in need in or nearby.

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.