Post holiday hustle and Atlanta snow day fun, we are all settling back into our routines and focusing on our goals for the new year. For many families like mine, one of those goals may revolve around being more intentional with our time and making sure our kids understand the value and importance of helping others.
What better way to kickstart that message than to participate together in a service project on MLK day/weekend in honor of the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr?
We’ve pulled together a short list of a few ways your family can make MLK Day a “day on instead of a day off” by either getting involved with the community or finding a way to spread kindness from home.
Offer Your Time and Talents
Alanta has so many opportunities for families to get involved in service this MLK day/weekend. All the planning has been done for you!—Simply bring your family and use your time and talents to help others. Here are a few of the many opportunities Atlanta has to offer:
- In honor of MLK weekend, Jewish Family and Career Services of Atlanta is hosting a Family Mitzvah Day for kids ages 5-13 (ages 14 and up can participate with their families or sign up to volunteer) on Sunday, January 19th from 2-4pm at the Weber School. This event includes a long list of service activities including making terrariums for Holocaust survivors and creating sensory kits/fidgets for clients of JFCS. You must register in advance and the cost is $36 per family: https://give.jfcsatl.org/event/family-mitzvah-day-2025/e641640
- Do you have younger kids you want to teach about helping others? The Davis Academy in Sandy Springs is hosting a fun event for preschool aged children and their families to learn all about service! The event is on MLK Day from 10am-12pm and will include music and mitzvah stations with hands-on service projects. The event is free but they do ask that you register ahead of time: https://www.nurtureatlanta.org/programs/details/~board/cub-club/post/mlk-family-day-of-service-2025
- Calling parents of teens! John’s Homestead Park in Tucker is hosting a Teen MLK Day of Service and Fun. This event is for ages 12-18 and costs $25. Following a park clean-up, teens will get to visit Ponce City Market and Putt Shack! https://tucker.recdesk.com/Community/Program/Detail?programId=1252
- Looking for a great hands-on service opportunity for the whole family? Join The Sandwich Project on MLK Day from 9-11am at the Atlanta Georgia Stake Latter Day Saints church near Freedom Park. This event is an interfaith community service project for all ages and abilities. Activities include making 1,000 sandwiches for individuals facing food insecurity, creating Valentine cards for incarcerated mothers and their children, and collecting/sorting gently used clothing that will be donated to those in need in the community. For more details, check The Sandwich Project’s facebook page
Donate Goods
Can’t volunteer in person but still want to make an impact? Help collect or purchase shelf-stable items for a local food pantry or homeless shelter and simply drop the items off on MLK Day:
- If you live in the Dunwoody area, you can drop off canned food from 9am-12pm at Brook Run Park in the parking lot (intersection of Dekalb Drive and Georgia Way South) benefiting those in need served by the non-profit, Malachi’s Storehouse.
- As part of the MLK Day Beloved Community Service Project, you can collect or purchase items off of this amazon wish list: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2E4DY86G3L7WF/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_2 and drop them off at the King Center on MLK Day from 11am-2pm (449 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30312). The items will benefit unhoused individuals.
Simple Acts of Service
If scheduled service activities are hard to manage due to timing or location, don’t give up! There are still plenty of simple, yet meaningful ways your family can participate in helping others and spreading love this MLK Day/weekend. Here are just a few:
- Bundle up and spend time outdoors as a family helping with a local park clean-up! Can’t find an organized park clean-up nearby? Grab a trash bag and gloves and head to your favorite park for your own trash clean-up.
- Gather supplies and pack Blessing Bags: a sweet and impactful way to share love and kindness. Simply fill a bag with hygiene items, snacks, socks, etc. You can add a note or drawing to add an extra smile. Then keep the bag in your car in case you see someone in need in your community.
- Feeling artsy? Get out those paints and try your hand at rock painting! This activity is super simple, yet so impactful. Decorate rocks with inspirational messages, seal with modge podge and leave them in public spaces for others to find! Your family’s creations are sure to spread smiles.
Looking for other ways to celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr? Here’s a list of celebrations and activities happening all over metro Atlanta:
https://www.atlantaparent.com/martin-luther-king-jr-day-events/
We can’t wait to hear how your family chose to help others and spread smiles this MLK Day!
