Every year, volunteers with the city’s best interests in mind head out into the Turlock community for a day of service known as Love Turlock, and this year the event will hit the streets for the sixth consecutive year.

The event is a one-day, city-wide service extravaganza designed to meet needs of the community and impact the lives of residents. Church groups, service groups and those who simply wish to get involved in the community gather to tackle projects – both big and small – and show love in a variety of ways, whether it be by visiting seniors, collecting food for the homeless, yard work or painting.

Love Turlock is a volunteer event, with those who donate their time tackling projects that can be completed in two to four hours. Volunteers can either develop their own projects or join a project provided by the event. Some of this year’s tasks include making cards for those in the military, playing music for residents at an elderly home, home improvement projects for a widow in need and picking up trash around town.

Each project is chosen with the themes “We shall make a difference” and “Reach out and help someone,” in mind, according to leadership team member Craig Brooks.

“I think this year in particular there seems to be, on a national level, so much division and polarization,” said Brooks. “Love Turlock seeks to do the opposite and bring people together from different social and economic areas and foster a spirit of cooperation. This is something to unify rather than divide.”

The event kicks off with a rally at 7:30 a.m. April 29 in the free stage area of the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds, and then from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. volunteers will complete the projects around town that they signed up for. The event concludes with a free barbecue lunch for volunteers and recipients from noon to 2 p.m. back at the fairgrounds.

To view the full lists of projects, sign up to volunteer or donate to help cover event expenses, visit www.loveturlock.com.