MLK Jr. Day of Service

1 out of 12 people in Montgomery County experience food insecurity.  1 out of 3 elementary students qualify for Free and Reduced Meals.  Support our community by bringing healthy, shelf stable foods for donation to a local food pantry. There are three large, blue collection boxes at the Middle School entrance for donations.

A Wider Circle works to help families start anew with dignity and hope.  They assist families transitioning out of shelters, escaping domestic violence, or otherwise living without their basic needs. 

We are collecting donations for two of their programs:

• One of their essential services programs provides professional clothing to adults entering the workforce.  Donations of in-season attire for all genders will be collected.  The items of most need are gently used shoes, professional purses or briefcases, men’s NEW dress socks, men’s suits and blazers sizes 46 and larger or 36 and smaller, women’s professional clothing size 16 and larger. 
• We will also be collecting baby items. Unopened baby formula, diapers, and baby clothing up to size 4T are in high demand. Gently used baby gear such as car seats and pack and plays are also needed.

Your donations help lift families out of poverty. Collection boxes will be available at each division.

Leveling the Playing Field puts your used sports equipment in the hands of those who need it so every kid gets a chance to play. They distribute the equipment to schools and organizations working to provide an affordable and accessible option to under-resourced youth groups, community programs and schools throughout the local area. Not only do they help under-resourced youth experience the benefits of participating in sports but they keep used equipment from becoming landfill. See their list of items accepted for donation. Collection boxes will be available at each division.

Bikes for the World collects unwanted bicycles and bicycle parts for redistribution in developing regions.  These donated bicycles are used to support transportation for health care workers, students to school, and to support local microbusinesses.  Donate your unwanted adult or child’s bicycle, in any condition, to Bikes for the World on MLK Jr. Day.  Bikes can be dropped off on campus that morning, during the prior week, or the following week. See flyer for details, and email David Hickson to confirm a drop-off location.  BftW also accepts portable sewing machines that are in working condition. 

Dr. King, Jr. experienced incarceration and wrote some of his most seminal works from a jail cell. Please consider purchasing books to provide to the inmates at the Howard County Detention Center. You may choose to use this Amazon list of books that were written by or about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his advocacy, leadership and service during the Civil Rights movement. We will also accept gently used books from your home library. These do not need to be from the Wish List. Collection boxes will be available at each division.

Join us in assembling casseroles to help keep the freezers full at Shepherd's Table in Silver Spring, Md. Shepherd's Table strives to improve quality of life, create a pathway towards self-sufficiency, and inspire hope for those experiencing food insecurity, homelessness, and poverty.  At the core of their mission is their meal service program, which includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner during the week and brunch and dinner on the weekends. Since the organization was founded in 1983, they have provided more than 117,000 meals every year without missing a single day. Baking pans, ingredients and recipes will be provided. 

This activity will take place starting at 9:30 am in Westview Dining Hall.

Join us to make beautiful and inspirational cards for Veterans and Seniors. Kind words and notes of appreciation can truly brighten someone’s day.

This activity will take place starting at 9:30 am in the Middle School Collection Space.

Participate in community blanket making for hospitals and shelters.  Pre-made 10x10 squares can be whip stitched together into blankets. If you already knit or crochet, you can work on a 10x10 square that will be joined with others’ squares to make a blanket. Yarn and needles/hooks available.

We will also have fleece blanket squares available that need to be tied together to form blankets. This activity is perfect for our younger volunteers.

These activities will take place starting at 9:30 am in the Middle School Collection Space.

Join us to put together a Jared Box for delivery to a local hospital. The Jared Box Project was started over 20 years ago by children in State College, PA, to honor their classmate and friend, Jared, who battled cancer with courage that continues to inspire. Since then, over a million Jared Boxes have been delivered to over 400 hospitals across the country. Boxes filled with the “gift of play” are given to young patients in emergency rooms, hospitals, surgical centers, and clinics. Each box contains small gifts, toys, coloring materials and activities selected for a specific age range. 

As a family, pick out a number of play items that will put a smile on a child’s face - there is no set amount of items, just choose enough to fill a shoebox. Consult the suggested toy list for ideas, and decide on the age range you’d like to target. Bring your items to our MLK Jr. Day of Service festivities, and we’ll provide clear plastic shoe boxes for you to decorate, along with stickers and markers to add some pizzazz to your boxes. In your sign-up, let us know how many boxes you’re planning on making.

This activity will take place starting at 9:30 am in the Yarnall Lobby (Beestro Cafe).

In the years since the SSFS community began the Empty Bowl Project, the School has hosted 7 dinners, raising more than $50,000 to feed the hungry in our area. These efforts have been supported by hundreds of volunteers from our community who have created thousands of beautiful, hand-painted bowls, and local restaurants and volunteer chefs who have provided thousands of servings of soup and bread.

Sign up to participate in one of three 1-hour wet-clay bowl-making sessions in the Art Barn on MLK Day of Service; bowls will be used for this year’s Empty Bowl event to be held March 12, 2023. No experience needed, all supplies provided. Please sign up one name per line for everyone attending, as we have limited work space. All Lower School students must be accompanied by a parent.

This activity will take place in the Art Barn from 10:00-11:00 AM, 11:00 AM-12:00 PM, and 12:00-1:00 PM. RSVPs are required, as space is limited.