Established by Congress in 1994, the King Day of Service is the only federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service. AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, oversees the King Day of Service and calls on communities to address the nation’s most pressing challenges, improve lives, and strengthen civic engagement.
The theme for the 2024 El Paso County MLK Day of Service is Sneakers for Asylum Seekers. On this King Day of Service, El Pasoans are encouraged to donate gently worn athletic shoes that can be used by migrants passing through our community.
Migrants who come through our Migrant Support Services Center are offered sandals to replace their worn shoes, but the sandals often do not provide the warmth needed during the winter months. Donating gently worn athletic shoes helps to reduce waste, share resources, and increase comfort.
This King Day of Service allows broad community involvement in multiple ways:
- Volunteers can help decorate shoe collection bins;
- Volunteers can drop off and pick up donation bins from county facilities;
- Volunteers can help sort and organize the donated shoes; and
- Community members can donate gently worn athletic shoes.
Encouraging acts of service, large and small, has the power to bring communities together, extend the services provided by the county, and increase the spirit of volunteerism.