Millions Volunteer Nationwide to Honor 9/11 Victims

As the United States commemorates the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the nation is coming together in a nationwide day of service to honor the nearly 3,000 lives lost on that fateful day. The two-day event, which runs through Thursday, September 11th, 2025, has mobilized an estimated 30 million Americans to participate in various volunteer projects across the country.

The effort kicked off on Wednesday with thousands of volunteers assembling packaged meals for needy New Yorkers aboard the USS Intrepid. In a festive atmosphere, teams filled small plastic bags with ingredients for a jambalaya-style dish, including uncooked rice, dehydrated vegetables, lentils, and seasonings, as upbeat music played in the background. This initiative is part of a larger effort to package more than two million meals for local food banks.

Alongside the meal packing, volunteers will be engaged in a variety of other community service activities, such as food and clothing drives, park and neighborhood cleanups, blood banks, and other events. Even small acts of kindness, like greeting strangers or holding the door for someone, are being encouraged as a way to remember the unity and compassion that emerged in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

The organizers of the 9/11 Day event, which was enshrined into law by Congress in 2009, hope that this day of service will help rekindle the sense of unity that the nation experienced in the wake of the tragedy. They believe that the effort is particularly resonating with the younger generation, who were born after the attacks and are seeking to find meaning and purpose in the face of the divisiveness that has characterized recent years.