If you can spare a few hours Saturday morning, you can make a difference in the quality of life in the Manteca community.
The most high-profile example of what the impact of three or so hourss of your time might be the fruits of a four-hour effort a decade ago that converted what was the barren and treeless stretch of Moffat Boulevard segment of the Tidewater Bikeway into a path that now has almost 300 trees.
The city could secure a grant to obtain the trees but lacked manpower and funding to plant them.
The city was faced with the prospect of having to spend upwards of $10,000 to plant the trees given budget cuts had reduced municipal staffing.
Enter Crossroads Community Church. They organized hundreds of volunteers to plant the trees one Saturday morning.
That effort was a precursor to the now annual Love Manteca endeavor.
Love Manteca returns this Saturday morning, April 29, on a day that will be capped with the Avenue Of Our Heroes event at 1 p.m. at Yosemite Avenue and Main Street in downtown Manteca.
If folks go to Lovemanteca.com they will be able to join the 270 currently registered to serve on one of the 19 different projects around town.
There is a pre-rally gathering at Northgate Park at 8 a.m. with a free breakfast (pancakes, eggs and sausage as well as some Indian cuisine), free shirts, non-profit information and a brief rally at 9 a.m. before a group photo. Then it is off to the work sites.
The goal is to complete projects by noon.
The most need is at one of four park bark spreading project, one of three shelter projects, or helping with spring cleanup at the East Union Cemetery.
Those helping at the cemetery are asked to bring their own string trimmers.
Visit Lovemanteca.com for more information.
Love Manteca is based on the Love Modesto model, which began in 2007 at about the time when Modesto was listed on “worst cities in America.”
More than 1,200 people showed up during that first year to support the cause.
From that, the organization has branched into more than 50 cities, with over 70,500 volunteers getting involved to better their communities for one day in April.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
