Volunteers work on dozens of projects during annual Walnut Creek Community Service Day

WALNUT CREEK – Saturday is usually a day of rest, or maybe a chance to catch up on chores around the house. But in Walnut Creek, the focus was a little wider as hundreds of volunteers fanned out across the city, working on dozens of projects as part of the annual Walnut Creek Community Service Day.

There's a saying that the most important thing you can give someone besides your love, is your labor. In a city named for a creek, a group of workers spent the morning clearing out leaves and debris above the riverbed at Civic Park.

"And it's just nice to get a sense of who our neighbors are," said volunteer Alexandria Willingham. "Especially because we get so used to our 9-to-5's that it's nice to see who we live with and who we share the city with."

She shares it with Idir Makhlouf, who spends a lot of time in the area. He is homeless and spends his nights living at the park and was happy to pick up a rake and pitch in to help.

"I like to see the park clean," said Idir. "It's very important to do all this together, that we help each other, you know?"

Over at Heather Farms Park, a crew of volunteers were collecting edibles for the Food Bank donated by hundreds of people in the community. The Food Bank relies heavily on volunteers, and last year the Walnut Creek Community Service Day brought in more than 11,000 pounds of food in one day.

"Every single person that supports us is really, truly a vital thread in our safety net in our community," said Food and Fund Coordinator Dawn Manley. "So, to see everyone working together is really special."

The Community Service Day began in 2011 when council member Cindy Silva saw something similar in nearby Pleasant Hill. But to keep things interesting, she said, they added some unusual locations and projects.

"So people can experience various things they haven't been involved with before," said Silva. "Be involved in a big drive for service that if 750 people each give three hours in a single day, you've got over 2,000 man-hours of work. That was the idea."

One of those unusual experiences was in a surprisingly nondescript building. It houses all the costumes used by Lesher Center theatrical groups. Inside are thousands of shoes and shirts and apparel of all shapes and sizes.

Young volunteers were sorting and putting items in their place, and in the mending room, Ling Chen was putting the sewing skills she learned as a young girl to good use.

"That's why I come back every year. Whenever they post it, I sign up first. I never expected to do this," Ling said, as she repaired some fasteners on a sequined dress. "But I thought, I'm going to try it, something new.  And this is something new. I'm surprised and I'm happy to be here."

Over at the Lindsay Wildlife Experience, while the patrons were enjoying a visit from Penelope the Porcupine, a group of young women were pulling out weeds and adding mulch to the gardens.

Charlotte Orr is a teenage member of the National Charity League, a mother-daughter service group that is proving that kids these days are actually pretty great.

"Especially, like, being high school students, you want to know that you're actually contributing to the community, and not just sitting around on your phone, which people say that we do!" said Charlotte, with a laugh. "It feels like you're being the best version of a human and the best version of a citizen and that's what I hope everyone does."

And with so many people willing to share both their love and their labor, each year on Community Service Day, Walnut Creek gets to be the best version of a city.