A smaller-than-expected group of civic minded volunteers turned out for Saturday’s “Love Ceres” to do their part to clean up town or doing acts of love for others.
The event was threatened by rain that made everything wet earlier in the day but volunteers like Keara Bell and her children, Raiel and Kade Bell came out to pick up trash in one of Ceres’ parks.
“I usually do ‘Love Modesto’ but I decided to do ‘Love Ceres’ because I live here,” said Keara Bell. “I used to live in Turlock when I first started.”
Mike and Tiffany Jones, youth pastors at Grace Community Christian Church, and their three children turned were put to work designing and writing cards of thanks for local military veterans at a picnic table in Whitmore Park
“Never done this before – we didn’t know what to expect,” said Mike who was coloring an American flag on a cover of a card he was designing.
About 40 cards were created to give to Blue Star Moms for current military service personnel and veterans.
The event began with a kickoff gathering in Whitmore Park with members of the Ceres Lions Club providing 250 breakfast burritos to fuel the volunteers for work details. From the newly completed park gazebo, event organizers Brandy and Keith Meyer welcomed the workers and introduced local officials who were in attendance. A raffle offering prizes was also held.
“This is about love,” said Mayor Javier Lopez who thanked the “Love Ceres” committee. “This is a great day and a great event. I think it’s really important that we give back to our community – not just today but every day.”
Posing with workers was “L.C.” (for “Love Ceres”), the large heart-shaped mascot worn by Dominic Martinez.
Besides the greeters and photographers capturing images of the work being done at the various sites, volunteers engaged in a number of work projects. They included picking up trash in downtown Ceres and in Strawberry, Persephone and Guillermo Ochoa parks; washing ambulances and police vehicles at the downtown Ceres fire station; and removing old mulch from the flowerbed at the Ceres Police headquarters on Third Street and replacing it with fresh bark donated by California Landscape Supply in Ceres.
Members of the Persephone Guild drove to the homes of about 13 Ceres residents – some of them veterans – to replace worn American flags with new ones.
Ceres librarian Rebecca Brown ran a book focused childcare program in the library for families of small children.
Because the early morning rain made grass wet, some scheduled yard work for seniors and shut-ins had to be postponed to a later date, said Meyer. However, city employee Toni Cordell was able to led work details in the yards of some Ceres seniors.
“We did have a lot of people text us this week saying, ‘hey, it’s going to rain – we’re not sure we’re going to make it,’” Brandy Meyer told the crowd. “So unfortunately we lose a few people but that’s okay. You guys are here and I want to thank you for showing up on this cold rainy morning.”
While 40 were deterred by the weather, about 175 volunteers in total participated in “Love Ceres” this year, including those who drove around on April 18 for the Classic Car Cruise Up. Led by Nasson and Sonia Sanchez, the car owners, spouses and friends paid visits to folks dealing with illnesses or a tragedy and offered flowers and encouragement.
The event included tours of the downtown Ceres fire station.
Daniel Baker, a returning participant of “Love Ceres,” spent time on Fourth Street with a plastic garbage bag and a trash picker to remove litter in time for the Ceres Street Faire this weekend.
Baker, a 2023 Ceres High School graduate, said he signed up because “it’s fun.”
“The older I get the more I care about this community,” said Baker. “I do love Ceres and love living here and being a part of everything and so it feels good to be out here.”
Baker is attending Stanislaus State University and working toward his teaching credential. He is employed as a paraprofessional for Ceres schools, helping in PE and music as well as coaching at Ceres High School.
“I love the kids in our community, love our people. There’s so many good people in Ceres.”
Baker said he wants to make Ceres his home for life.
Meyer said she left Saturday “feeling so blessed that our community came together.”
Owners of Cold Stone Creamery in Ceres offered free ice creams for Love Ceres volunteers after the morning work detail. Dutch Bros. coffee pledged to donate $1 for every drink sold at the Ceres location for next year’s event. Ten boxes of donuts were donated by Congressman Adam Gray, coffee by Starbucks and a hot dog lunch with chips and drinks by the Ceres Rotary Club.
Other sponsors of the event included Embroidery Plus which printed the volunteers’ T-shirts; Sign Depot which print signs; Dalton Durossette who placed the signs around town; Bertolotti Disposal which provided bins for garbage and yard clippings; Dutch Bros. and Home Depot who sent employees to help out at the event; and citizen Gene Yeakley who donated funds for water and orange juice. Event sponsors were Love Our Cities, Love Stanislaus County, the city of Ceres, Harvest Presbyterian Church, Youth for Christ, Pentecostals of Ceres, and Meyer CPR & First Aid.
