Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve….You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love, and you can be that servant.
—MLK
When Civil Rights leader John Lewis advocated for a holiday to honor Martin Luther King, Jr., he called for a “national day of service.” He urged for “a day on, not a day off … a day of service to our communities, to our brothers and sisters, and to generations yet unborn so that we all may continue Dr. King’s work of building the beloved community.”
This attitude of service is the same attitude of Jesus who, “did not come to be served but to serve.” So we are taking up this challenge for a “day on” of serving and turning it into a “month on” with a church-wide Serve-a-thon. Our goal is to put in 250 hours of service by the end of February, and hopefully create a pattern of serving that will continue long after!
There are endless ways to serve, both one-off and longer-term commitments, so be creative! Below are a few ideas to get you going. Although many of the websites are Minnesota-specific, similar programs likely exist in your city—just give it a quick search! Note that some volunteer activities require extra training or orientation.
Clean up your block
- Grab trash bags and some family and friends and pick up litter on your block.
- Some cities offer resources to help, like St. Paul’s Come Clean! project or the Minneapolis Litter Cleanup program.
Provide food
- Bring a meal to a neighbor.
- Prep food for a community meal service.
- Loaves and Fishes has many locations around the Twin Cities metro.
- Pack a Meal with Feed My Starving Children.
Write letters
- Make a thank you note for your mail carrier, garbage collector, local librarian, first-responders… anyone you want to acknowledge!
- Send a letter to senior citizens through Letters Against Isolation.
Donate blood
- Find a location near you through the Red Cross.
Collect items for those in need
- Clothing and other supplies can be donated to our partner organization, Walking with a Purpose.
Preserve African American history
- Transcribe documents through the Smithsonian Digital Volunteer Program.
Help out an animal shelter
- Animal Humane Society has four locations across the Twin Cities.
Tutor a student
- Local libraries often have tutoring programs.
- Look into online programs like Upchieve.
Volunteer with one of our partner ministries
- Open Arms meal delivery
- Settled tiny home construction
- Today’s Harvest food shelf
For a comprehensive collection of volunteer activities across the Twin Cities, check out Hands on Twin Cities. For elsewhere in the United States, Volunteer Match is a good place to start!
