Over 1,000 volunteers donated their time to the community-wide service event known as Love Turlock Saturday afternoon, working together to beautify and give back to the city they call home.

 “This is a chance for us to go into the community and meet real needs,” said New Life Christian Center pastor Dave Larson, who helped organize the event. “This is a great community and we truly do love one another.”

Members of the New Life and Pitman High School community came together when Karri Neto, Dave Mulleda, Jeff Silver, Francisco Acosta and Jordan Vasquez helped clean a property on High Street during the event, and at Columbia Park, Girl Scout Troops 167 and 1747 helped to clean and prepare the water feature for summer use. One lucky homeowner received help from volunteers Tom Baldwin and Aaron Lucero, who worked together to reinforce the home’s sagging patio roof.

In Denair, the Denair Cares program was in full swing as 25 volunteers hit the streets with tools in hand, ready to make their town a better place.

“That’s what people are supposed to do – give back,” said Connecting Point pastor Greg Gebhart. “We care about our community and want to come together…it brings all people of different faiths to one place, and it’s just a great day to be together.”

Volunteers like Tom Lindquist and James Brugger helped to clean up the roadside along Sante Fe Avenue, and the group also installed a new bench in the park near the library.