If you'd like to help your community, but haven't had the time …

If you've always meant to do volunteer work but never gotten around to it …

If you feel good when you help someone else …

Make A Difference Day is for you.

It's one day out of the year when millions of people across the country pitch in to make life better for others.

The beauty of Make A Difference Day, which this year falls on Oct. 27, is its focus: one day, one project. You can either join someone else's event, or come up with your own.

If unsightly garbage litters your neighborhood, get some people together to clean it up.

If you're concerned about those who struggle with homelessness, substance abuse or literacy, find a way to help them.

If you want to get creative, hold a fundraiser variety show, paint a public mural or create a Web site that people will find useful.

Or if you prefer a meat-and-potatoes kind of project, you can always put together a food or clothing drive.

Other simple options: rake leaves for senior citizens. Donate blood. Plant tulips at a school. Make dinner for the hungry.

Make A Difference Day is sponsored by USA Weekend. It started in 1991 with the Points of Light Foundation, and the Paul Newman Foundation awards $10,000 charitable donations to the 10 best projects.

For information on how to get involved, check out makeadifferenceday.com, or call the Make A Difference Day hotline at (800) 416-3824.

Once you create or get involved in a project, plan and publicize it. Register your project online at www.makeadifferenceday.com's DAYtaBANK.

Then, after you do your good deed, fill out an online form and mail it to USA Weekend Magazine to let others know what you did and be eligible for the national prizes.

And if you like it, who knows -- you may want to get involved for more than just a day.