One of the important precepts of Christianity (indeed, of many major religions) is to “Love they neighbor as thyself.” Of course, this sentiment is easy to preach, but more difficult to practice.
There is now a website that helps people put this maxim into action; www.JustServe.org brings together people who need help with those who are willing to provide it.
The goal and vision of the JustServe website is to bring together nonprofit organizations that provide humanitarian and community service and individuals or organizations seeking service opportunities. So far it has affiliated with groups such as these:
• American Cancer Society
• Catholic Charities
• American Red Cross
• Habitat for Humanity
• Numerous local charities, cities and school districts.
Suggested projects go through a local approval process to assure volunteers they meet the project guidelines. When they are posted on the site, it displays information about the project (such as dates, times, locations and type of help needed) and gives contact information for those who wish to participate.
Many community service projects were completed throughout April that were facilitated by this process, and on Saturday, April 27, the South Valley was the location for a large number of volunteers to pitch in and accomplish much-needed tasks.
Gilroy: More than 150 people turned out to work at Christmas Hill Park. They painted curbs red, trimmed branches, cleared pathways, raked leaves, planted trees, spread mulch, painted a restroom building and picnic tables.
At the same time a group of volunteers worked at Glen View Elementary School, trimming trees, weeding garden boxes and cleaning the multipurpose room.
Morgan Hill: The Aquatics Center was the recipient of the labor of some 125 volunteers. They planted flowers, power-washed several concrete areas, deep-cleaned the kitchen and other food preparation areas, and cleaned locker rooms and more than 200 lounge chairs. Some particularly adventurous folks donned scuba gear and proceeded to clean the bottom of the competition pool.
San Benito County: Several locations benefited from this volunteer service during April, such as Chamberlain’s Children Center, Emmaus House and the Community Pantry. On Saturday, April 20, the efforts were focused on cleaning up the streets of downtown Hollister and general maintenance at the San Benito Historical Park.
All these efforts were appreciated by city and school officials, as attested to by letters of thanks. But as is often the case in such situations, the volunteers themselves left these locations with a feeling of gratitude and satisfaction that they were able to help the residents of their communities, that their efforts made things a little better than they were before.
This initiative is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an organization noted for the many ways it serves the communities around the world in which it is located. Currently, this pilot endeavor is up and running in three locations: the Bay Area, Denver, Colo., and parts of Texas.
