Service Updates

Bill Romani of Baltimore, Maryland shares why giving back, even in a small way, can make a big difference in your community. Take a look at his story, then make sure your friends and family see it, too.

President Obama knows a good education cannot be a luxury—it’s an economic imperative that serves as a gateway to jobs, a strong middle class, and a workforce that out-innovates the world. Preparing the next generation for success begins at home, but our schools—as well as after-school and mentorship programs—also play a vital role in preparing our kids with the skills and knowledge they need to get ahead.

One of the most impactful and rewarding ways to make a difference in your community is by making a difference in the life of a child. Whether you’re mentoring a student or helping improve a school, you can positively impact a child’s life and strengthen your community at the same time.

There are even more ways to give back to your community by serving local schools and students—try one of these or come up with your own event:

• Volunteer at an after-school program.
• Help paint or improve a classroom.
• Teach a continuing education class for adults at a local college.
• Organize a garage sale to help pay for new textbooks or school supplies for a neighborhood school.

Sign up for a National Day of Service education event near you!

We have a sacred trust with those who serve our nation. It's a commitment that begins when they take their oath, and President Obama believes it must never end—we owe our veterans and their families the care they were promised and the respect and benefits they have earned.

On the National Day of Service, volunteers will help show our appreciation for our veterans and military families through community service. Want to give back to our troops and their families? Here are some great examples of events you and your neighbors or friends can host:

• Volunteer at a veterans’ hospital to help provide medical care or company to a veteran.
• Ask your local dry cleaner, restaurant, gas station, or hair salon to give a percentage of proceeds for a certain time period to a charity benefiting our troops—and let all of your neighbors know so they can go and support the local establishment as well as the organization.
• Organize or volunteer at a thrift shop that supports and funds job training programs for returning veterans.

Sign up for a National Day of Service veterans and military families event near you!

President Obama believes we do not need to choose between a strong economy and safeguarding our world for the next generation. Caring for our planet is a sacred responsibility shared by all. By pledging to serve with an organization that takes care of the environment, you’re also taking care of your fellow community members and ensuring a better future.

AmpleHarvest.org is just one of the many official partner organizations for the National Day of Service. This organization is committed to protecting our environment by fighting hunger and malnutrition in America—garden by garden. With one out of six Americans needing food assistance but unable to get fresh produce from the local food pantry—and millions of American homeowners growing more food in their backyard gardens than they can use—AmpleHarvest.org connects those with excess food to those who need it. You can help AmpleHarvest.org end hunger by getting your community food pantry registered to receive freshly harvested locally grown produce from nearby growers, by helping any gardeners you know to share their excess harvest, or even by donating food from your own garden.

Sign up for a National Day of Service environment event near you!

AmpleHarvest.org is one of many opportunities to get involved with service projects focused on promoting the environment. There are lots of ways to get involved—volunteer with AmpleHarvest.org, or better your community by serving with park and river clean-ups, environmental education campaigns, or animal shelters. Thank you for your commitment to serve in your community.

Whether organizing a neighborhood food drive or volunteering your time to your local food bank, National Day of Service partner organizations like Feeding America are helping Americans reclaim a healthy lifestyle and bringing hunger relief to millions of Americans in need—a cause that is especially close to First Lady Michelle Obama’s heart.

Feeding America, a nationwide network of over 200 local food banks with the mission of creating a hunger-free America, will be one of the many health organizations present at the National Day of Service. Feeding America food banks provide nutritious foods to Americans struggling with hunger; safe and nurturing places for children to have a meal; emergency food assistance for disaster victims; and a chance for impoverished adults to live healthy, hunger-free lives. Through a network of more than 200 food banks and 61,000 soup kitchens, food pantries, and other local agencies, the organization supplies more than 3 billion pounds of food to more than 37 million Americans each year, including 14 million children and 3 million seniors nationwide.

You can serve with your local Feeding America food bank in your community on the National Day of Service and beyond through activities like sorting and distributing donated food, tutoring children, volunteering with a mobile pantry, and more. Help end hunger in this country by pledging some time to feed the hungry in your community. For more information, visit www.feedingamerica.org. 

Sign up for a National Day of Service health event near you.

Feeding America is one of many opportunities to get involved with service projects focused on promoting health. There are lots of ways to get involved—volunteer at a senior center, put together a Let’s Move! initiative for local elementary school students, or help out at a women’s health clinic. Thank you for your commitment to serve in your community.

All over the country, Americans are starting their own small businesses, investing in green energy, and rebuilding communities. With continued job growth, a thriving auto industry, and expanded investments in the American worker, communities across the country have demonstrated their ability to overcome adversity. By dedicating time to supporting communities in their economic development, we can give our fellow citizens the opportunity to enjoy not just prosperity, but a new level of dignity and self-determination. 

National Day of Service organizational partner Operation HOPE is working to make free enterprise and capitalism work through financial literacy and inclusion. Over the past 20 years, Operation HOPE has directed more than $1.5 billion in private capital into America’s underserved communities to help create thousands of homeowners, small business owners, and entrepreneurs. With 2 million clients served and over 20,000 volunteers, Operation HOPE is making a difference in communities across the country. Volunteers can also help in programs like Banking on Our Future, a program focused on keeping the most at-risk youth from repeating the cycle of poverty by teaching them basic financial literacy.

You can help advance the final work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.—eradicating poverty and achieving a measure of economic justice for all—by giving your time to an economic development project.

Sign up for a National Day of Service economic development event near you!

Operation HOPE is one of many opportunities to get involved with service projects focused on promoting economic development. There are lots of ways to get involved—volunteer at Operation HOPE or help drive your local economy by serving at poverty relief centers or local businesses that keep your community running. Thank you for your commitment to serve in your community.

For countless Americans, faith serves as a guide to do good, to serve as our brother’s keeper, to recognize that much is expected from those who have been given so much, and to care for those in need. On the National Day of Service, there’s no better way to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. than by following in his footsteps of service, community building, and interfaith cooperation.

Catholic Volunteer Network, one of the National Day of Service’s organizational partners, is a volunteer and mission program that fosters and promotes full-time national and international service opportunities for a diverse group of people. With a mission of faith-based volunteerism, inclusivity, and collaboration, Catholic Volunteer Network promotes social justice for all. From helping with home repairs to teaching students of all ages, there are dozens of ways you can support those in need by joining an interfaith organization in your community.

Sign up for a National Day of Service faith event near you!

Catholic Volunteer Network is one of many opportunities to get involved with service projects focused on promoting interfaith service. There are lots of ways to get involved—volunteer at the Catholic Volunteer Network or serve in an interfaith dialogue, church service, or faith community effort. Thank you for your commitment to serve in your community.