MLK Day Of Service Projects: How To Help In Reston

RESTON, VA — Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a nationwide day of service honoring the legacy of the late civil rights leader. This year, it will be held on Monday, Jan. 19. Organized service projects have taken the place of the traditional work or school holidays in recent years.

King is the only non-president to have a national holiday named in his honor. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the only federal holiday designated as a day of service.

A Day of Service

9:00 a.m., Reston Association Headquarters, 12001 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston

Free; 6 years and older

In Reston, volunteers 6 years and older can participate in a day of service on Saturday, at 9 a.m., at Reston Association Headquarters, which is located at 12001 Sunrise Valley Drive. The special projects will support Cornerstones, The Closet and Reston neighborhoods. To volunteer, contact Ha Brock, at 703-435-7986 or ha@reston.org.

Volunteer Fairfax is hosting MLK Day of Service 2026, an in-person day of service for families, businesses and young people ages 5 and up. Volunteers will work on projects that benefit local non-profit organizations.

The Volunteer Fairfax event begins at 9 a.m., on Monday, at Northern Virginia Community College – Ernst Community Gymnasium, 8333 Little River Turnpike in Annandale.

Volunteers must choose one of the two available shifts. Following the 9:30 a.m. welcoming ceremony, the first shift of service projects runs from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. The second shift runs from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Fairfax County is also sponsoring a Watershed Clean Up Day on Monday, from 9 to 11 a.m. at Huntley Meadows Park at 3701 Lockheed Blvd. in Alexandria. More information is available online.

Here are 10 more ways for Fairfax County residents to serve:

1. Host a National Day of Service project in your community.

2. Volunteer for a hunger project to continue King’s work to combat poverty and hunger, or sign up to host a virtual event.

3. Volunteer at local homeless shelters or soup kitchens.

4. Check off items from your kids’ teachers’ wish lists on Amazon or some other site.

5. Clean up a local park or around your neighborhood, either through an organized litter removal effort or on your own.

6. Go through your pantry, closets, basement, and garage, and bag up non-perishables and gently used items to donate.

7. Make a commitment to join one of these civil rights organizations.

8. Visit an assisted living facility or local nursing home. Spend time with the residents through conversation and joining them in activities.

9. Arrange with the hospital in advance to read to children at a local hospital or shelter, and then leave the books behind.

10. Send thank-you notes to service and essential workers, including police and emergency responders, health care providers, teachers, snow plow drivers, mail carriers, grocery clerks, or anyone else who performs duties that increase community well-being.