Jim Todd hopes Manteca residents will make a difference in the lives of those struggling one can at a time this Sunday.

That’s when 400 volunteers will forsake traditional Sunday worship services at three Manteca churches to go door-to-door collecting canned goods to restock the shelves of the community’s 10 food closets that are being stretched thin under the weight of Manteca’s 14 percent unemployment.

And instead of waiting for someone to knock on their door Sunday from 9 a.m. to noon people can take their canned good donations during the same time frame down to the Golden West school parking lot on North Main Street.

“We’re sticking with canned good because they are easy to handle and tend to be good sources of protein and overall nutrition,” noted Todd, Pastor of Outreach at Crossroads Grace Community Church.

The canned food drive is part of the third annual Takin’ It to the Streets multi-church community outreach this Sunday involving Crossroads Grace Community, New Hope, and Northgate Community Churches as well as any other volunteers who step forward regardless of their religious beliefs.

“This is about serving the community,” Todd said. “It is what Jesus Christ believed in.”

The goal is to amass 1,500 volunteers - 950 had registered as of Wednesday - to tackle 25 projects over a three-hour period. They run the gamut from working on the landscaping near the Tidewater Bikeway plazas and spreading bark at five city parks to feeding the homeless at Library Park, abating graffiti in Ripon, and helping widows with light yard work and house repairs.

Manteca High CSF advisor Denise Pasion has enlisted 15 of her students to assist with improving the parking lot landscaping at Woodward Park. A team of students from East Union High are helping paint fire hydrants around Manteca.

A list of the various projects - as well as registration forms - can be found at www.october9.org

Takin’ it to the Streets is an outgrowth of the Crossroads’ Second Saturday community service day that also enlists volunteers from within the church and the community to work side by side helping improve Manteca.

Volunteers will assemble at 8 a.m. at the Crossroads Grace Community Church on Moffat Boulevard. There will be lunch served to all participants starting at 12:30 p.m. at Woodward Park after their morning of service.