5+ Uptown Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2025 Volunteer Projects and Community Celebrations

From food drives to beautification projects, here are a few ways to honor Dr. King's legacy of social impact Uptown.

By
Brandee Sanders
January 15, 2025

Civil rights visionary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy is built on the pillars of equality and service. Inspired by his journey toward justice, local nonprofits and community groups are hosting volunteer projects and community-driven celebrations on Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 20) that reflect the different causes he championed.

From meal distributions in Washington Heights to revitalization projects at some of Harlem's most treasured green spaces, dive into this roundup of ways in which you can honor Dr. King by paying it forward Uptown.

Hunger Free America’s ‘MLK Serve and Learn’ at Carver Houses

Date: Sunday, January 19 | 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Location: The address will be provided by the project organizer after registration.

A consequential element of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision for social change was the urgency to eradicate poverty and hunger within marginalized communities, often underscoring the fact that food equity is a basic human right. Ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, Hunger Free America—a national nonprofit organizing and advocating for programs and policies to end domestic hunger—is hosting a food justice-driven volunteer project at NYCHA’s Carver Houses Uptown.

Tapping into the power of collaborative impact, participants will prepare and pack meals for the housing complex’s community fridge pantry, which serves as a resource for local families who are food insecure. In the afternoon, Hunger Free America will host an additional volunteer session that involves organizing and sprucing up Carver Houses’ pantry and community spaces.

Abyssinian Baptist Church’s Community Service Day

Date: Monday, January 20
Location: Various locations. Contact event organizers directly for further information.

From racial justice to economic equity, Dr. King’s activism efforts spanned an array of causes and impacted people from all walks of life, but they were all connected by the common thread of empowerment. Abyssinian Baptist Church—the historic Harlem landmark where he delivered remarks during the church’s 157th anniversary in 1965—is hosting a series of volunteer projects that reflect the diversity of Dr. King’s advocacy.

Among the list of community-driven events are a Day of Service for Seniors, where volunteers will assemble care packages for residents in nursing homes, an arts and crafts session for kids where they’ll decorate cards and poems to send to senior citizens living in local assisted living facilities, beautification projects in Saint Nicholas and Marcus Garvey parks, and food pantry building at four Harlem schools.

NYC Parks’ MLK Day East Harlem Street Tree Care

Date: Monday, January 20 | 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Meeting Location: 2nd Avenue & East 100th Street

A lesser-known chapter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s storied legacy is his contributions to the movement for environmental justice and his perception of the significance it played in the larger fight for equality. Channeling Dr. King’s passion for communal stewardship, NYC Parks is hosting a series of beautification projects throughout the Big Apple centered on visually transforming public spaces and nurturing the greenery that lines the city streets.

During this Harlem-based horticultural volunteer project, hosted at Cherry Tree Park Playground, participants will learn how to aerate, cultivate, mulch, and identify street trees. The project will also delve into the importance of urban green spaces. NYC Parks will also host an ecological-inspired clean-up project further Uptown along the coastlines of Ferry Point Park in the Bronx.

A Celebration of Dr. King’s Life and Legacy with the Washington Heights Community

Date: Monday, January 20 | 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM
Location: 729 W 181st St, New York, NY 10033

To honor the spirit of unity on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a collective of nonprofit organizations and local groups throughout Washington Heights are teaming up to host a lineup of activities sitting at the intersection of community service, culture, and connection. The YM & YWHA of Washington Heights and Inwood will kick off the day of service with care package creation sessions where participants will pack hygiene and meal kits and create greeting cards for neighbors in need. In collaboration with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Jewish Latinx Youth Council, Fort Tryon Jewish Center, and Fort Washington Collegiate Church, the Y will also host a festive performing arts-inspired celebration that will include traditional African drumming and dance as well as trivia and conversation.

AHRC x Word Up Community Bookshop's MLK Day Winter Food & Clothing Drive

Date: Monday, January 20 | 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Location: 2113 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10032

Inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s unwavering commitment to supporting some of the most vulnerable communities, AHRC is teaming up with Word Up Community Bookshop/Librería Comunitaria to help those in need this winter. The New York-based organization—which advocates for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities—is teaming up with the Uptown staple to gather and distribute winter clothing and non-perishable food items for those in the local community facing food insecurity. The drive will be hosted outside of Word Up’s storefront in Washington Heights.

MLK Young Changemakers: Feeding Our Future

Date: Monday, January 20 | 3:00 PM
Location: 253 W 125th St, New York, NY 10027

Dr. King’s reverberant impact in the realm of social justice has influenced generations of visionaries and thought leaders. The world-famous Apollo Theater’s annual MLK Young Changemakers event will center candid conversations that bridge the civil rights leader’s contributions to the modern-day movement for environmental advocacy, keying in on how environmental and food justice impact people’s livelihoods locally and globally. Curated by the Apollo Apprentices through the theater’s Apollo Education initiative, the free event is designed to serve as a source of inspiration for the next generation of civically engaged leaders.

Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date:

* indicates required