Love Turlock is a one day event that occurs annually. Local citizens  come together through various volunteer projects to enrich the community. This year’s event will take place April 27 at Rally Park in Turlock.
The ultimate goal is for a city to bridge the gap between those in need of help and those who can help.
The cause originated with Love Modesto, where local community members asked themselves, “Why is Modesto considered one of the worst places to live in the U.S.?” and “What would happen if our churches disappeared?”
Through planning and might, Love Modesto officially began on March 7, 2009. Over 1,200 people showed up to love their city in practical ways such as painting and landscaping, as well as food and clothing donation.
The idea was simple, imagine a city where people come together, what would that look like?
Since then, the Love Our Cities campaign has expanded to 40 regional cities with over 27,000 participants contributing to their local community. And as a result over 95,000 volunteer hours were donated that contributed over $760,000 into our cities.
Love Turlock will kick off with a Rally at 7:30 a.m., at the Target parking lot, where all volunteers will congregate to hear a few words of encouragement as well as prayer.
The volunteers will receive final instructions for the day ahead before proceeding to their designated worksites.
Following the completion of each team’s projects, volunteers and recipients are invited for a free barbecue lunch at Columbia Park from 3:30-4:30 p.m.
This is an opportunity to build relationships with both the people who participated as well as fellow teammates.
“I tried it for the first time last year,” Steven Rubalcava (junior, Kinesiology) said.
“Whether you’re involved in a church or not, I think everyone should [participate].”
Love Turlock invites people of all ages to come support the  cause and show some love to their respective cities.
For a complete list of projects and to sign up as a volunteer, visit loveturlock.org.
Also, for all other cities’ events go to loveourcities.org.