A list of MLK Day of Service events in Northwest Philadelphia

Just months after a national memorial was dedicated to its namesake’s honor, this year’s Dr. Martin Luther King Day of Service could inspire an increased sense of devotion through giving back to the community.

Last January, more than 75,000 volunteers participated in about 1,200 projects throughout the city. If you’re interested in participating next week, here are Northwest Philadelphia service projects listed on Day of Service’s website:

• Unitarian Society of Germantown will sponsor a data-entry project at Northwest Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network (NPIHN). Volunteers are asked to meet at USG, 6511 Lincoln Drive, at 8:30 a.m. on MLK Day to carpool to NPIHN.

Winter Coat Drive for the Bethesda Project. The public is asked to donate coats at Unitarian Society of Germantown (6511 Lincoln Drive) on MLK Day between 8:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. For a list of more than 20 USG projects on MLK Day, visit http://usguu.org/page/mlk-day-of-service.

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• Nazarene Community Development Corporation is holding a canned food drive. Bring your non-perishable canned goods to the NCDC (3979 N. Nice St.), but those past the expiration date will not be accepted.

Martin Luther King High School volunteer work. Come volunteer to clean, organize, repair, patch and paint four areas of the school used by students and staff. Volunteers will also help do inventory and remove old computers and equipment, clean, paint and install locks for student gym and equipment lockers. They’ll finish the day with removing trash, leaves and debris from school grounds. The school’s address is 6100 Stenton Ave. in West Oak Lane.

Germantown Friends School volunteer work. Registration from 8:15-9 a.m., followed by this year’s James and Dorothy Bristol Peace and Social Justice Speaker Mirangela Buggs, Director of Multicultural Affairs at GFS, in the Poley Auditorium in our Main Building. Projects run from 9:30-11:30 a.m., both on and off campus, followed by a luncheon at 11:30 a.m, hosted by GFS’ Multicultural Parents’ Alliance in the our cafeteria. (31 W. Coulter St.)

• Trolley Car’s Winter Coat Drive at the Diner, Cafe and Anna B. Day School on MLK Day. The diner and cafe are hosting their annual coat drives. Individuals are asked to drop off their new or gently used coats at the diner, café or AB Day School now through January 16.

Donated coats will go to Roxborough Salvation Army for those in need in the Delaware Valley. Locations for drop-off: Trolley Car Diner & Deli (7619 Germantown Ave.), Trolley Car Café (3269 South Ferry Road, at Kelly Drive) and the AB Day School (6324-42 Crittenden Street).

• Piney Grove Baptist Church volunteer outdoor cleanup. Volunteers will help pick up trash around the Logan Elementary School and a few surrounding blocks. Locations: 5021 N. 17th St. and 1700 Lindley Ave.

Depaul House USA donation drive. Now through MLK Day, the Depaul House (5725 Sprague St.) will be accepting peanut butter, jelly, coffee, tea, flash drives and small personal alarm clocks.

Philadelphia Reads book drive. Drop off a children’s book to help support Philadelphia Reads’ goal of helping children reach their reading grade level or higher by the end of third grade. Locations: InFusion Coffee & Tea (7133 Germantown Ave.), National Penn Bank (9 West Evergreen Ave. in Chestnut Hill or 3617 Midvale Ave. in East Falls), Arthur Ashe Tennis Center (4842 Ridge Ave.) and Metropolitan Bakery (8607 Germantown Ave.)

• Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis Center feeding the homeless, community cleanup and Zumbathon for helping the homeless with Goodstein Junior Leaders.

Help prepare and serve food for homeless families at the Stenton Family Manor Shelter (1300 E. Tuplehocken St., 9 a.m.).

Volunteer to pick up trash, recyclable items, paint inside recreational centers at both playgrounds and organize the books and sports equipment at the centers for the children in the Love 2 Serve and afterschool programs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Locations: Penrose Playground (1101 Susquehanna Ave.) and Mander Playground (33rd and Diamond streets).

Zumbathon for the Homeless with Goodstein Junior Leaders, 10 a.m. Burn a few pounds during the Zumbathon and contribute to the fundraiser for We Feed the Homeless Philly. Zumba is a Latin dance fitness program gaining wild popularity. Children pay a $5 donation and adults pay $10 and all participants must sign a waiver. (West Oak Lane Charter School, 7115 Stenton Ave.) Register for the day of service: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e5huvfl505e45853&llr=g45e7sdab.

• Rebuilding Together Philadelphia’s (RTP) spring Block Builds: Help beautify the neighborhoods of Germantown and Mantua by helping assemble planters along sidewalks. RTP says the planters, or flower pots, are “storm water management tools” that contribute to the “health of Philadelphia’s waterways.” Volunteers will also help paint and make basic repairs at Face to Face in Germantown, a human services organization aiding seniors, the homeless, unemployed and mentally challenged. Face to Face address: 109 Price St. (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.)

• Though not a day of service event, the Neighborhood Interfaith Movement will host a program titled “Rediscovering the Beloved Community Through Service, Justice and Faith,” on Sunday, from 3-5 p.m., at Janes Memorial United Methodist Church (47 E. Haines St., Philadelphia). District Attorney Seth Williams and local clergy are among those expected to attend the event with performances by local choirs and readings of the words of Dr. King.

For more information and to register for projects, visit: http://www.mlkdayofservice.org/Default.aspx.

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