A small army of volunteers is being assembled this Saturday to do everything from changing oil for single moms and widows to spreading bark at six different playgrounds throughout Manteca.
It’s part of the second annual Love Manteca effort on April 23 from 9 a.m. until noon following registration at 8:30 a.m. at 1505 Moffat Blvd on the grounds of Crossroads Community Church.
There is room for 975 volunteers. There have been 347 that have signed up as of Monday through the www.lovemanteca website.
“This is meant to be a city effort to care for Manteca,” said Jim Todd who is helping organize the day.  “Participants are citizens who want to make a difference locally for the morning. Efforts this day may not change the world but they will make a difference where we live.”
Among the projects that still have spots available for volunteers are:
a canned food drive.
tree beautification along the Tidewater Bikeway.
refinishing city park name signs.
Tidewater clean-up
East Union cemetery clean-up.
Raymus House diaper drive.
Pressure washing brick and miscellaneous clean-up at HOPE Family transitional housing.
spreading bark at five city playgrounds, the Raymus House playground and the Tidewater Bikeway plaza.
A number of other projects have already reached the maximum for volunteer signups.
“Time is very precious to people,” Todd said. “That is why the projects are designed to take between 2.5 and 3 hours so we can be through by Noon on Saturday.”
Nearly 400 participated in the inaugural love Manteca last year.
Love Manteca came about from Love Modesto, 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.