Service Events

Many Helping Hands is a group of Cambridge residents of all ages coming together to help those in need in Cambridge on Martin Luther King Day, January 21st, 2013. Come honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and lend your hands to make a difference in the Cambridge community. Cambridge MLK Day of Service will be on Monday January 21 from 2-5 pm in Central Square, Cambridge. We will have several hands on service projects including making fleece scarves and blankets for homeless children and adults, making bookmarks for adult literacy projects, Valentines Day cards for homebound seniors and emergency room activity kits. All ages welcome. DON'T COME EMPTY HANDED! Bring winter clothing to donate, a can of food, a children's book. We will sort the donations and distribute them to Cambridge shelters, food pantries and Reach Out and Read programs.This event will be hosted in the welcoming spaces of the YWCA, Central Square, and is being organized by a wide network of Cambridge volunteers with the goals of fostering personal MLK Day service action by volunteers and of raising public awareness of needs throughout our community.

Through Many Helping Hands, Cambridge residents young and old will work together collectively and in concert with a million volunteers across the country - to improve and strengthen local communities through service to others. In just a few hours time, hundreds of Cambridge volunteers will extend a helping hand to thousands of local residents in need in many different ways.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS: 2 pm to 5 pm in Central Square, Cambridge
1:30         Registration opens and volunteers arrive
2:00 - 2:15     Welcome Gathering
2:15 - 5    Hands on activities to help those in need
5   Clean Up and Celebration

HANDS-ON SERVICE PROJECTS These are a few of the projects volunteers will do on
MLK Day to reach out through the wider community:

* Make Fleece Scarves and Blankets to benefit at risk infants, children and seniors in Cambridge.

* Create colorful bookmarks to benefit the Cambridge adult literacy programs at the Public Library and the     Community Learning Center

*Create Valentines for Cambridge residents in Senior Housing, hospitals or nursing homes across the city

*Make Emergency Room Activity Kits to engage children waiting at Cambridge Hospital and Mt. Auburn Hospital emergency room waiting areas

CONTRIBUTIONS & COLLECTIONS Dont come empty-handed! On MLK Day we will be collecting foods, books, and warm winter clothing. All contributions will be sorted, boxed, and will go directly to Cambridge community partner organizations.

* Canned Goods
To benefit Cambridge food pantries. Canned soups, fruits, vegetables, meats and fish

* Children's Books
To benefit literacy programs in local schools, afterschools and pediatric offices

*Winter Clothing
To benefit Cambridge adults and children in need: Mittens, gloves, scarves, coats, socks and other warm clothing for the homeless and shelter residents

VOLUNTEER  EXPO will provide information about the many local organizations that  can use volunteer help through-out the year.

Please join us in support of Many Helping Hands and come lend YOURS!