Photo by mosley.brian.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day has been a national day of service since 1994 — “a day on, not a day off,” so the saying goes — but many of you may be curious as to how and where you can sign up to volunteer. Fortunately, Serve D.C., the District’s official agency coordinating volunteerism around the city, has several options available.

Though many of the city’s official MLK Day projects have filled their quota for volunteers, there are still a few opportunities in case you are in search of last-minute options: a knit-a-thon to make hats for those in need at the National Cathedral, a clean-up at Pope Branch Park in Ward 7 and a collection of service initiatives in Ward 1, to name a few.

D.C. Public Schools are also in need of volunteers for their “Teaching Your Child How to Read” literacy project and other initiatives. Reading workshops will be held at Emery Education Campus (1720 First Street NE), Payne Elementary (305 15th Street SE) and Powell Elementary (1350 Upshur Street NW) — if volunteering to help a child learn to read appeals to you (and why wouldn’t it?), you can sign up here. Are the arts more your thing? DCPS will host an arts supply donation drive and mural project (info here) at Takoma at Meyer (2501 11th Street NW) and will team up with Greater DC Cares to paint murals (info here) at McKinley Technology High School (151 T Street NE).

Looking to volunteer somewhere outside the city’s borders? We recommend utilizing the King Day of Service’s national database of projects, or checking out surrounding counties and jurisdictions‘ King Day plans.