Day of Service ready for virtual projects. Register to help by Friday at 10 a.m.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy is everlasting, and in that spirit, the annual MLK Day of Service will continue amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event from Winnetka-based The Volunteer Center of NE Metro Chicago will go virtual for the second straight year and organizers are asking volunteers to participate wherever they can on Monday, Jan. 17.

“This is a meaningful way for volunteers of all ages and abilities to contribute their time and talents in service to those in need – while paying tribute to Dr. King’s legacy of service, tolerance and diversity in small, safe groups,” reads a press release from The Volunteer Center.

According to the release, project kits will be available to construct the event’s signature no-sew blanket for the homeless and refugees and a “to go” full project package that supports homeless teens, veterans, nursing homes and health care workers.

Kits must be ordered by 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 14, at The Volunteer Center’s website and will be available for pickup between noon and 4 p.m. Monday, Jan. 17, at the Winnetka Community House, 620 Lincoln Ave., Room 11D.

The Volunteer Center asks that finished projects are returned to the Community House between noon and 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 22. Other dropoffs times can be requested, organizers said.

“We appreciate busy Saturday schedules, so please let us know when you pick up your kits if you need to arrange a drop-off that works for you,” according to a Volunteer Center press release. ” You might also finish your projects on MLK Day and drop them back to us at the Community House by 4 p.m.”

The event will also again collect donated laundry detergent in support of the New Trier Township Food Pantry. Donations can be dropped off during pickup or dropoff.

For more information, email info@volunteercenterhelps.org or visit volunteercenterhelps.org.

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