Ceres is gearing up for the fifth "Love Ceres" community service event on Saturday, April 18 and there's plenty of jobs needing workers.
Volunteers who wish to make Ceres a better place to work, live and play will be immersing themselves in different projects throughout Ceres.
The event begins with a gathering at the Ceres Community Center at 9 a.m. After welcoming introductions and a brief pep rally, the volunteers will be released to meet with their respective project leaders and get their assignments.
Some projects are kid friendly and family-oriented, while others are geared to adults only, said event coordinator Becki Barton Nicholes.
All projects conclude at 12:30 p.m.
Projects for 2015 include the following:
• Visiting residents of a convalescent and retirement home. Volunteers will encourage those who are lonely by listening, chatting with and possibly praying with residents;
• Home and yard maintenance. Approximately 40 volunteers are needed to help people in need with home and yard projects. Volunteers are asked to bring yard equipment;
• Clinton Whitmore Mansion clean-up. Volunteers are needed to help with maintenance, weed pulling and bush trimming at the Whitmore Mansion. About 30 are needed for this project and should bring yard equipment;
• Interior Whitmore Mansion Housekeeping. Volunteers are needed to clean, dust and sweep the interior of the 1903 mansion;
• Food & Toy Drive. Volunteers will walk neighborhoods collecting food items for local food banks and toys for the Children's Crisis Center;
• Prayer Team. A group will remain at the Ceres Community Center and pray for the community and those in need;
• Hope Haven West. Volunteers will help sort, clean, box and adjust wheelchairs for ultimately being shipped to various countries at the Ceres warehouse;
• Cleaning up parks and neighborhoods. Volunteers will be directed by city staff where to help clean-up, paint, or remove graffiti from city facilities, including parks;
• Serve a meal to the community. Volunteers are needed to help feed the other work volunteers with a free lunch at Ceres Community Center;
• Improve downtown Ceres. Volunteers will be needed to clean up alleys, sidewalks, and more;
• Community Baby Shower. Approximately 20 volunteers are needed to help host a baby shower for new mothers in need;
• Downtown Neighborhood Improvement. About 80 are needed to help clean up residences in the downtown area;
• Kids Carnival. Volunteers will help with games for a community children's carnival;
• River Bluff Park Lower Terrace Clean-up Beautification of the area by removing weeds, trash, brush, clearing the lecture area, and cleaning the roadway;
There are things the community may do before the event. They include these projects:
• Booties and Babies. Volunteers may donate a new baby item (bottles, diapers, clothing, etc.) to be used for a Community Baby Shower to be held at the Ceres Partnership for Healthy Children headquarters on Fourth Street;
• Suits for Success. There is a need for persons to donate new or slightly used professional clothing for used by Project YES clients;
• Books for Success. The community is asked to donate new or gently used books to be donated to local children;
• Meals on Wheels. Anyone with a heart for the hungry and homeless is being asked to donate a bag of groceries.
Everyone is encouraged to visit www.loveceres.com and sign-up for a project.
Volunteers will provide a free meal to anyone at the Serve a Meal Project at Whitmore Park located in downtown Ceres, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.
This is the fifth "Love Ceres" event held since 2011.