How to Make MLK Day a Day “On”
Starbucks and VolunteerMatch are empowering volunteers to follow in the footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and find ways to do good this MLK Day of Service.
How to Make MLK Day a Day “On”
Recognized as one of history’s most influential leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s work continues to inspire communities to come together and elevate doing good through service.
In 1994, Congress designated the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday as a national day of service. Every third Monday in January, good people across the country come together to lean into MLK’s legacy and observe the MLK Day of Service as a “day on,” rather than not a “day off.”
Our mission at VolunteerMatch is to build better communities by making it easier for people to connect to good causes. That’s why this year, we’re deepening our partnership with Starbucks to inspire you, our volunteers, to find a way to give back on MLK Day, Monday, Jan. 21 and throughout the whole week.
Giving back to the communities it serves and using its scale for good has long stood as a pillar of Starbucks heritage. Starbucks partners (employees) have been participating in MLK Day of Service for over seven years and for the last two years, in partnership with VolunteerMatch, have expanded their service to be a week-long focus. This year, partners will participate in more than 200 projects alongside dozens of community organizations across the country.
Through the VolunteerMatch and Starbucks partnership, partners are able to create, find and join projects that are relevant and local to them and the neighborhoods they serve. In the last two years more than 18,000 partners have volunteered in over 8,500 projects across the US.
Last year, more than 1,500 Starbucks partners and customers engaged in their communities through a service project on or around MLK Day. This year we want to make an even bigger impact on our communities. Here are three ways to get involved with nonprofits in your community, and your local Starbucks baristas, this MLK Day and beyond.
This MLK Day of Service, we hope you’ll make time by taking a day on — whether by leveraging your skills, your passion for the environment or by just spending precious time with your neighbors and local baristas. Then, help MLK’s legacy live on by inspiring others to do the same by sharing your story on social media using the hashtag #extrashotofgood.
