MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities.
Showing compassion/serving can come in many forms. It can be as simple as reaching out to someone you have not talked to in a long time, checking on an elderly neighbor, or buying lunch for an overworked medical professional.
If you are interested in MLK Jr. Day projects on a larger scale, here are a few ideas that were shared in my church’s monthly newsletter:
Alexandria
Potomac Stewards Cleanup — river cleanup at Four Mile Run and at Jones Point Park. www.eventbrite.com/e/potomac-stewards-cleanup-martin-luther-king-jr-day-of-service-tickets-37495579287?aff=es2
Arlington County
Volunteer Arlington — make meals, assemble winter care packages, clean up parks, assemble children’s blankets for homeless shelters, learn about hunger and affordable housing, etc. volunteer.leadercenter.org/2022-mlk-day-service
District of Columbia
City Year — projects at three schools in the H Street NE corridor. www.cityyear.org/dc/events/mlk-day-of-service/
Washington National Cathedral — a virtual event for families; will include a sermon by Martin Luther King Jr’s granddaughter Ms. Yolanda Renee King. cathedral.org/event/remaining-awake-a-service-in-observance-of-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-day/
Fairfax County
Volunteer Fairfax — event is geared toward elementary-aged kids and their parents with various service stations. www.volunteerfairfax.org/events/mlk-jr-weekend-of-service-2022/
Potomac Stewards Cleanup — river cleanup at Turkey Run in McLean. www.eventbrite.com/e/potomac-stewards-cleanup-martin-luther-king-jr-day-of-service-tickets-37495579287?aff=es2
Reston Community Center — three days of activities: concerts, packing of lunches, outdoor cleanup, and a special activity for 1st-6th graders at RCC Hunters Woods. www.restoncommunitycenter.com/attend-shows-events-exhibits/2022-mlk-celebration
Falls Church Chamber of Commerce — “March for Social Justice, Unity, and Racial Healing” begins at the Tinner Hill Monument in the area where African-American families bought land after the Civil War and whose descendants established the first rural branch of the National Association for the Protection of Colored People. www.fallschurchchamber.org/events/details/3rd-annual-martin-luther-king-day-march-for-social-justice-unity-and-racial-healing-01-17-2022-32569
Afghan families continue to be settled in Fairfax County and northern Virginia. Their needs are great as they begin the arduous and long-term task of becoming self-sufficient.
Several Tysons Interfaith faith communities are supporting evacuee families. Levels of support for families range from donations, to logistical support to full sponsorship.
The faith communities of Tysons Interfaith recommend the following resources for individuals/congregations who want to help:
LIRS – Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service: https://www.lirs.org/
LSSNCA – Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Region: https://lssnca.org/
NoVA RAFT — https://www.facebook.com/VARAFT/
FAMILUSA — https://www.familusa.org/
KOMAC Foundation: — https://www.komakhelp.org/
Just Serve — https://www.justserve.org/projects/2a23c37e-76cc-4f45-ae1f-1371f6331d9f
Catholic Charities Diocese of Arlington County: https://www.ccda.net/need-help/immigrants-and-refugees/migration-and-refugee-services/
Ethiopian Community Development Commission: https://www.ecdcus.org/
Fairfax County Afghan Newcomers Information and Resources: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/topics/afghan-refugee-information-and-resources
As we enter winter months, please keep our neighbors in need in mind. Local food pantries, such as SHARE and Food For Others can always use donations and manpower.
In addition, our friends at FACETS sent out an appeal this week for their annual holiday gift drive:
We need your help! With local families struggling to make ends meet, we have received over 600 requests for gifts and toys. We are hearing from many parents and families who have never reached out to us before for assistance.
For years, our amazing community has ensured that the children, families and individuals served by FACETS can celebrate the season with their loved ones.
This year, we have been very blessed to have many of you step up as Angel Tree donors to fulfill holiday wishes. However, the requests are still coming in – and these new families need all of us.
With gratitude in our hearts, we are asking if you can please help provide toys, presents and gift cards for our community’s most vulnerable.
Ideally, all unwrapped gifts should arrive at FACETS’ main office by Wednesday, December 15th at 12 noon so our elves from SERCO can wrap them that evening.
- Monetary Donations: Make a donation to FACETS, and we’ll do the shopping for you! To donate online, CLICK HERE. (Please indicate “Holiday Gifts” in the Special Instructions field.) To donate by mail, please send checks made payable to “FACETS” to FACETS, 10700 Page Avenue, Building B, Fairfax, Virginia 22030.
- Donations of Toys, Gift Cards & Presents: Download our list of needed gifts and add something to your Christmas shopping to drop off this week. Donations can be dropped off Monday – Friday, 9am to 3pm, at the FACETS Main Office: 10700 Page Avenue, Building B, Fairfax, Virginia 22030.
- Virtual Shopping via our Amazon Wish List & Amazon Smile: You can also ship gift cards and toys directly to FACETS by using our Amazon Holiday Gift Wish List. And, when you buy from Amazon Smile and select “FACETS Cares” as your charity of choice, a percentage of your purchase price goes back to support the children, families and individuals served by FACETS’ programs.
- Angel Tree: Angel Tree wish lists are still available. If you are your team are interested in “adopting” a child or family this season, please reach out to Tessa at trobinette@facetscares.org.
Thank you!! We are so very grateful to you all! Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Tessa at trobinette@facetscares.org or 703-352-3268.
In the Tysons region, there are excellent non-profit groups serving the needs of the population. Many of our faith communities partner with these non-profits in their work. A list of some of these great groups can be found at the bottom of the Tysons Interfaith website Resources page.
As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, our thoughts turn particularly to people in our community who are experiencing food insecurity. FACETS, one of the non-profits listed on our Resources page, is sponsoring a Thanksgiving Food Drive with the goal of ensuring that 450 of our neighbors have food on their tables this Thanksgiving. They are collecting food and gift cards through Tuesday, November 16. To learn more, please visit: http://facetscares.org/thanksgiving1/.
Other local organizations who distribute food for families and individuals who are experiencing hunger are SHARE of McLean and Food for Others.
As we continue to emerge from the Covid Pandemic and disruptions to supply chains, it is critically important that we deliver food to our neighbors. What better time to do this than November, the month when we pause to give thanks for our many blessings? On my list of things to be grateful for are the Tysons area non-profits doing such dedicated and important work, and deserving our support.
With the desperate situations in Afghanistan and Haiti, many are asking how they can help people in Afghanistan and Afghan refugees, as well as the people of Haiti struggling to recover from the recent devastating earthquake. The following list of resources has been compiled from suggestions offered by Tysons Interfaith contributors:
FOR AFGHANISTAN
LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICES: The leading resettlement agency resettling refugees in the DMV area that is already in the process of resettling hundreds of recently arrived Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders, working with local nonprofit groups — they need financial donations, volunteers for apartment setup, transportation, tutoring, advocacy, and more. See https://lssnca.org/take_action/afghan-allies.html
LUTHERAN IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEE SERVICES: See https://www.lirs.org/
CATHOLIC CHARITIES DIOCESE OF ARLINGTON COUNTY: Doing work in the DMV. See https://www.ccda.net/need-help/immigrants-and-refugees/migration-and-refugee-services/
ETHIOPIAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION: Also doing work in the DMV. See https://www.ecdcus.org/
HIAS: formerly known as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, HIAS has been working in the U.S. and around the world for 130 years on refugee resettlement and advocacy — now seeking financial assistance, advocates, and volunteers to provide housing for newly arrived Afghan families. See https://www.hias.org/crisis-afghanistan-how-you-can-help
INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE: another leading refugee resettlement agency, resettling refugees in the Baltimore area and elsewhere in the U.S. and around the world – see https://help.rescue.org/donate/afghanistan
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS: providing medical care for the neediest people in the toughest places around the world, including 5 still-operating projects in Afghanistan – see Afghanistan | How to Help & FAQs | Doctors Without Borders
NO ONE LEFT BEHIND: the only nation-wide association of wartime allies in the US dedicated to ensuring that America keeps its promise to our interpreters from Iraq and Afghanistan, now trying, among other things, to charter planes to rescue Afghan refugees. See https://nooneleft.org/default.aspx?
INTERNATIONAL REFUGEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM ( IRAP): a leading organization, headquartered in New York, involved in litigation and advocacy on behalf of refugees across the United States. See https://refugeerights.org/
WOMEN FOR WOMEN INTERNATIONAL: https://support.womenforwomen.org/donate/afghanistan-emergency-2x-match?src=HHUA21082A
CHURCH WORLD SERVICE: another leading refugee resettlement agency, run by U.S. churches for over 70 years, involved in advocacy as well as refugee resettlement around the world. See https://cwsglobal.org/learn/refugees-and-immigrants/
FOR HAITI
Many faith-based organizations are sending resources to Haiti, so you may wish to check with your local faith-based organization for additional information.
Also, the following NPR article explains precautions to take when donating and provides links to lists of organizations doing work in Haiti. https://www.npr.org/2021/08/17/1028421310/haiti-earthquake-how-to-help.
This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.