NBC10's guide to the 2026 annual MLK Jr. Day of Service

Once again this year, neighbors are being asked to work together to clean and green the community for the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service.

But, in Philly, this year, things will be a little different.

That’s because, this year, the city’s signature site for the annual Greater Philadelphia MLK Jr. Day of Service has changed.

Typically, officials gathered at Girard College in Philadelphia’s Fairmount neighborhood for MLK Jr. Day of Service events. The school hosted its 16th year, last year, as the city’s signature site.

But, this year, events will held at Temple University.

Organizers said that the regional Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, which includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, is the oldest and largest King Day of Service in the nation.

Projects at Temple University on the 31st Annual MLK Jr. Day of Service

• This year’s signature project, presented by Independence Blue Cross, will feature volunteers assembling “Book Arks,” self-standing structures (resembling larger newspaper “honor boxes”) that will offer free books to organizations in local, underserved communities. 
• A Rally for Peace and Justice will be held from noon to 2 p.m. spearheaded by the Cecil B. Moore Philadelphia Freedom Fighters and the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity’s 57 Blocks Project. 
• Kids Carnival with Reading Captains and the Book Trust offering opportunities for children to choose and own books that are meaningful to them. Volunteers assembling Literacy Kits that will include donated books and reading resources to be distributed to families throughout the area.
• Global Citizen, in partnership with the Read by 4th Campaign, leading a Reading Coach training, an initiative which protects every child’s right to read in Philadelphia by connecting community volunteers with a citywide movement for early literacy.
• The Philadelphia Fire Department leading CPR training.
• Educational activities promoting children’s literacy, include reading stories about Dr. King and the civil rights movement, coloring books, watching Dr. King’s speeches, and distributing free books.
• The 14^th annual Jobs & Opportunity Fair with more than forty local employers offering real job opportunities.

• There will be a Health & Wellness Fair.
• Assembling hygiene kits for individuals experiencing homelessness.
• Voter education and registration.
• Workshop to mobilize against racism to save American history from governmental censorship at federal historical sites, especially the President’s House and Slavery Memorial, located at 6th and Market Streets on Independence Mall.

Projects throughout the Philadelphia region

• Girard College will host a Teen Health and Resource Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. followed by a panel discussion featuring the freedom fighters focused on the desegregation of Girard College at 3 p.m.
• Delaware County officials – State Rep. Joanna McClinton and Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams – will be hosting a MLK Day Expungement Clinic from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The lawmakers are partnering with Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania and the Delaware County Public Defender Association to facilitate the event, which is open to people with Delaware County arrests. This will be held at the Darby Borough Building in Darby.
• Hundreds of volunteers from Drexel University’s Athletics Department, and Undergraduate Student Government Association are joining West Philadelphia community organizations to participate in a day of study and service in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. After rallying at the Drexel Recreation Center for a welcome message from Director of Athletics Maisha Kelly and reflect on the history and meaning of Dr. King’s legacy, more than 400 volunteers will participate in community clean-up service projects at 23 sites throughout West Philadelphia, including Miles Mack Park and The James Wright Recreation Center. Students will be doing service projects from 9:15 through 11:45 a.m.
• Philadelphia City Councilmember Isaiah Thomas and the Thomas and Woods Foundation will be hosting the fifth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Speech Contest, in honor of one of our nation’s greatest orators and civic leaders. High school students will deliver original speeches inspired by Dr. King’s legacy and their vision for the future of our city. The event will be held at 10 a.m. at African American Museum of Philadelphia.
• The Chosen 300 will be providing meals to the homeless and hungry at 5:30 p.m. in two locations: 1116 Spring Garden Street and 3959 Lancaster Ave.
• The Philadelphia Orchestra will present its 36th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Tribute Concert on Monday, January 19, at 3 p.m. in Marian Anderson Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in partnership with Global Citizen’s Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service. Led by conductor Thomas Wilkins, this year’s concert marks the first Martin Luther King, Jr., Tribute Concert to take place at the Kimmel Center since the dedication of Marian Anderson Hall.
• City officials and legislators will join New Jersey’s Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill in Camden’s Yorkship Square to help clean and beautify the Fairview neighborhood. The event will also include a service fair featuring city and county departments. This event starts Monday at 10 a.m.
• The Brandywine Valley SPCA will host a day of service as community groups, families, and volunteers will spend the day giving back to animals in need. Now an annual tradition for our West Chester, Harrisburg, New Castle, and Georgetown Campuses, volunteers spend their day off as a day of service supporting the work of the Brandywine Valley SPCA.
• The Philadelphia Police Department will have officers out at a number of events during the MLK Jr. Day of Service. One event will see officers from the Philadelphia Police Department’s 15th police district working with the nonprofit groups, It Takes a Village to Feed One Child and Unique Dreams Inc. This event that will work to address hunger and food insecurity will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 4704 Leiper Street in Philadelphia.
• PA Cyber students, family members, and staff will be working to support local communities at several, events this week all throughout the state. Locally, on Tuesday, January 20, the PA Cyber Philadelphia office will work with the Delaware County Food Bank to collect and repackage rice for donation. Then on Wednesday, January 21 in Allentown, PA Cyber families and staff will assemble personal care kits for the Allentown Rescue Mission.

This story is a list of just some of the events being held throughout the region for the upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. For more information and events to be held during the day, click here.