Governor Larry Hogan Announces Day to Serve Initiative in Maryland
All State Employees to Be Given Four Hours to Volunteer

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan today announced Maryland's Day to Serve Initiative, which gives all state employees four consecutive hours of paid leave to take part in a volunteer activity of their choice at any time from September 10 to October 10. As part of Day to Serve, Governor Hogan will be attending the Travis Manion Foundation's 9/11 Heroes Run in Annapolis this Sunday, September 11. Tomorrow, Lt. Governor Rutherford will also be attending The 6th Branch's Together We Serve 9/11 Day of Service in Baltimore.

Day to Serve is an annual, month-long community service initiative in which Maryland joins Washington, D.C., Virginia, and West Virginia in encouraging its residents to get out and volunteer. For the fifth consecutive year, the three states and Washington, D.C. will track the number of volunteers, hours served, pounds of food donated, and more in this friendly competition.

“We already know that Marylanders are kind and generous people who serve their communities and neighbors 365 days a year,” said Governor Hogan. “For the next 30 days, I encourage all state employees and Marylanders from every corner of the state to carve out just four hours of their busy day to give back to those less fortunate.”

Many agencies throughout state government come up with their own service projects for Day to Serve. This year, the Maryland State Police and the Department of Transportation will partner with the Maryland Food Bank for the fourth annual statewide Hunger Action Month food drive, called “Stuff-A-Truck.” Donations of nonperishable items will be accepted at State Police barracks and select Department of Transportation offices. In addition, staff from the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services will be serving evening meals at one of Baltimore’s residential programs for formerly homeless or incarcerated men.

Marylanders can volunteer in all kinds of ways, from cleaning up parks, streams, and beaches, to putting together care packages for military troops and feeding the hungry. Please be sure to register your event at http://daytoserve.org/addyourevent. To learn more about Day to Serve, visit goci.maryland.gov/dts.

To support Maryland nonprofits in their Day to Serve projects, the Governor’s Commission on Service and Volunteerism also announced that 33 organizations have received a total of $111,000 in funding, provided by the Walmart Foundation. An independent team reviewed more than 180 applications, ultimately awarding the grants to the following organizations:

During my time as governor, I have witnessed incredible acts of kindness and volunteerism from members of our communities who truly care for one another. I am pleased to announce that starting Saturday, September 10, 2016, Marylanders across the state will join their neighbors in Washington, D.C., Virginia, and West Virginia to participate in Day to Serve, a month-long volunteering and community service initiative.

Day to Serve is an annual program that encourages volunteerism and promotes how our state’s residents serve their communities. Citizens, faith-based organizations, businesses, nonprofits, and other organizations all come together, every year, to give back to their communities.

From September 10 to October 10, I invite all of my fellow Marylanders to get involved in this program. Bring your friends, family, and colleagues to have fun and give back to your community.

Throughout the month, you can participate in various types of projects. From helping senior citizens to donating and organizing clothes for the less fortunate, you can make a difference in your community—and easily find events in your area to join!

If you’re an organization looking to get involved, you can sponsor a Day to Serve event and register it on the Day to Serve website.

Join the conversation on social media by using #MDdaytoserve and following the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives on Facebook and Twitter. For more information on the 2016 Maryland Day to Serve, visit http://goci.maryland.gov/dts/.  

Last year, I’m proud to say 38,000 Marylanders volunteered for a total of 111,000 hours of community service. This year, we’re aiming even higher—we want 50,000 Marylanders to volunteer for at least 150,000 hours. Get involved and help us make this the most successful Day to Serve yet!

Larry Hogan
Governor