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Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service NJ Events 2024

We’ve been sharing with you Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service New Jersey events since 2012. These are great community service projects for families in New Jersey. Take a look at this year’s NJ Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service projects.

What are you doing to help others?

Martin Luther King Day of Service NJ

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is Monday, January 15, 2024.

It’s a common joke that our national holidays lose their meanings and just become another reason for stores to have sales. It’s tempting (and sometimes necessary) to sleep in, turn on the television and relax, and let the day slide by.

If you’re looking for ways to involve your children in community service, spend this year’s Martin Luther King Day as a Martin Luther King Day of Service, a day on, not a day off!

What is the Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service?

Martin Luther King Jr Day became a national holiday in 1983, and in 1995 the Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service was established. In 2014 and years after hundreds of thousands of Americans participated in the Martin Luther Jr King Day of Service with food drives, pet supply drives, greeting card workshops, blood drives, community cleanups – all are community service and most can involve children!

If you can’t find a specific Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service event, shop for a food drive, or clean up a park on your own or with a group of friends counts as well. For more information about Martin Luther King Jr., visit the Scholastic Martin Luther King Day site, partnered with the Corporation for National & Community Service.

2014 making cards for a children's hospital at Be Craftful, Fanwood. Martin Luther King Day of Service New Jersey events
2014 making cards for a children’s hospital at Be Craftful, Fanwood.

Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service New Jersey Events

Currently being updated for 2024. Please confirm details with event organizers before heading out to an event. Some event organizers make last-minute changes to events.

Donation Drives

South Jersey Donation Drives for Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service

  • The Volunteer Center of Burlington County will host a 18th Annual MLK Day Challenge – Monday, January 15, 2024 at Burlington County Library- Main Branch – 5 Pioneer Blvd., Westampton, NJ – 10 am to 3 pm. They will be doing a number of collection drives from that location.
    • Food Collection for the Oaks Integrated Food Pantry
    • Animal Supplies Collection for Burlington County Animal Shelter
    • Collection for Newborns in Need Burlington County Chapter
    • Greeting Card Making for residents of assisted living facilities
    • For more details on the types of items being collected please visit their MLK Day Challenge page.

New Jersey Volunteer Events & Community Service Projects for Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service

These organizations have opportunities to volunteer on Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service throughout New Jersey.

  • Jersey Cares shares ideas for virtual volunteer opportunities and in person opportunities.
  • Allforgood.org has volunteer opportunities in person and virtually. You can search by location and find a way to volunteer near you.

North Jersey MLK Day Events

  • On Friday, January 12, 2024 from 11 am to 11:30 am there will be a Martin Luther King Story Time in Parsippany-Troy Hills at the Parsippany Library. There will be stories, songs, and crafts. Learn more in our event listing.
  • Visit the Paramus Library on Monday for a Martin Luther King Craft. Guests can drop in to create an I have a dream rainbow. Learn more in our event listing.
  • Another North Jersey MLK event is the Martin Luther King Craft in West Orange. Targeted to kids in grades Kindergarten through 2nd grade. This event is in the afternoon with no registration required, making it possible to attend multiple events on Monday. Learn more in our event listing.
  • On Monday, January 15, 2024, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, families can stop by the Reeves Reed Arboretum Stackhouse Education Center to create Valentine Cards that will be delivered to clients of SAGE Eldercare. Find out more details on our Calendar of Events.

  • Extend your MLK Celebration into Tuesday with this Martin Luther King Take and Make Service Project in Hoboken. Kids can visit the Library to pick up one of three kits. Learn more in this event listing on our calendar.

Central New Jersey MLK Day Events

  • The Princeton Arts Council will host a Martin Luther King Jr. event on Monday, January 15 from 1 to 3 pm. Celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr with a free Poster-Making Workshop. Learn more in this Calendar of Event listing.
  • For Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Newark Museum of Art is hosting a Community Day Martin Luther King Jr: Vision in Action on Monday, January 15, 2024 from 12 noon to 5 pm. Registration is required. This year’s Community Day features uplifting performances, hands-on activities, and opportunities to help others. Visitors are encouraged to bring nonperishable food items to support a local food bank, women’s shelter, or church. Get all the details in our calendar listing.
  • Spend MLK Day in Nature as you and the family provide community service together. Friends of Princeton Open Space, a nonprofit dedicated to land preservation, is hosting a Day of Service in Nature in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On Monday, January 15, 2024, help them continue the work on the Riparian Restoration Project: Restore the Lakeshore! at the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve in Princeton, New Jersey. Volunteers will work to identify and remove invasive plants species, such as burning bush (Euonymus alatus) and multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora). Volunteers will also free large established trees from the grip of invasive vines. Learn more in their Eventbrite event listing.

  • The Wall Township Intermediate School (2801 Allaire Road) will be hosting a Day of Service on Monday, January 15, 2024 from 9 am to 12 noon. The event will be at Wall Intermediate School. No other details have been published. Potential volunteers should contact [email protected] for more details or visit their Facebook page

South Jersey MLK Day Events

  • Participate in a Dr. Martin Luther King Day of Service in Ocean City on January 15, 2024. Volunteers are asked to participate in a citywide cleanup from 9 am to 12 noon. Sign-up and supply distribution will take place at the Howard S. Stainton Senior Center. Learn more in our Calendar of Events listing.

Other Martin Luther King Jr Day Events for Kids in New Jersey

South Jersey

Other Martin Luther King Jr Day Events for Kids Near New Jersey

  • The National Constitution Center will be open outside of normal operating hours on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 15, 2024, from 10 am to 5 pm. Admission will be free. There are concerts, crafts, speeches, and more planned throughout the day. Learn more at the National Constitution Center website.

Giveaways & Freebies in New Jersey

12 Places Kids can volunteer in NJ

Nothing near you? Check out the list of toolkits provided by nationalservice.gov, or read our 12 Places Kids Can Volunteer in New Jersey for ways to involve your children in community service!

Martin Luther King Day of Service NJ at Imagination Station
The Auer boys during one of their first Martin Luther King Day of Service projects in 2012. We picked a local park and took time to clean it up.

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