Instead of spending a typical Saturday relaxing after a busy work week, over 250 members from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints scattered around Turlock to clean up the town they call home.

This is the first year that the Mormon Helping Hands day of service was brought to the town of Turlock as well as being the first year for this day of service to be shared throughout California for a state-wide event.

It is estimated that over 70,000 Latter-day Saints Church volunteers state-wide worked on Saturday to renew and restore California parks for this year’s theme picked specifically to help ailing parks budgets.

“It is a real inspiration to see members of the community come out to help maintain their community,” said Greg Willden, Turlock Stake president.

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints started their Saturday bright and early around 8 a.m. with three projects in mind to help better the Turlock community.

They worked on Columbia Park, a city-wide clean up and a city-wide drain painting, Willden said.

It took all 250 members about four hours to complete all three projects.

Church members worked in Columbia Park to paint three outbuildings, picked up garbage along Taylor Road from Golden State Boulevard to Berkeley Avenue, and painted numerous drains in Turlock, he said.

Before the day of community service began, the church worked with the City of Turlock to determine the needs of the City and what they needed help with the most, Willden said.

This may be the first time that the Church brought this state-wide event to the town of Turlock, but this wasn’t the first time that the Church has helped with community outreach services. The church participates in numerous community activities every year. 

To contact Maegan Martens, e-mail mmartens@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2015.