Local Volunteer Weekend Reimagined Amid Pandemic

DANVILLE, CA — Community Presbyterian Church Danville is inviting the public to participate in its 5th annual Serve Day Weekend, which has been revamped to ensure socially distant community service projects benefiting the San Ramon Valley amid the pandemic.

Last year's event drew 2,000 volunteers — nearly double the amount that attended the first event in 2015 — to the church campus to participate in projects such as washing cars to raise funds for Cystic Fibrosis research. CPC Danville said it was the largest Bay Area volunteer gathering.

“We were worried at first if we’d be able to pull this off given the season we’re in,” said Deana Dickerson, CPC Danville director of serve, in a news release. “But after talking with our team, local organizations and volunteers, we realized it could be done, we just needed to change our mindset."

This year, things will be a bit different.

Stay Home

Volunteers may sign up online to receive a "Serve Day in a Box" kit, which will contain directions and supplies needed to complete a project such as key chain-making for Teen Esteem, eyeglass cleaning for the local Lions Club, card-writing for local organizations, hat-knitting for patients and sorting crayons for the Crayon Initiative. The box will also contain instructions on how to complete the project while maintaining compliance with COVID-19 precautions.

People may pick up a kit to host a small volunteer party of families in their backyard or block, the church said.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if this is something we keep for future Serve Day weekends because it enables an entire population to participate that might ordinarily have the chance, be it due to health concerns, having really little kids or the elderly," said lead pastor Tyler Scott in the news release. "What’s really cool is that the at-home projects can scale to any size so we have the potential to unleash compassion on the people of the San Ramon Valley and beyond perhaps more than ever before."

CPC Danville also invites the public to participate in events such as the virtual Bay Area Step Up for Down Syndrome Walk, which can be completed anywhere Oct. 10, and the 37th annual Run for Education San Ramon on Oct. 11, which is also a virtual run.

Serve In-Person

People are also invited to serve in socially distant serve events at the church campus at 222 W. El Pintado Road and elsewhere.

Projects will benefit local organizations such as Blue Star Moms, Together We Rise, Meals on Wheels, the San Ramon Valley Christian Academy preschool and Kids Against Hunger. There will be cleanup projects, food delivery and more.

Donate

Those who can't volunteer may donate Starbucks and Peet's gift cards in $5 increments for San Ramon Valley Unified School District teachers, or give $25 or $50 gift cards to Safeway, Target and Walmart to benefit people who lost their homes in recent fires and first responders.

Gift cards can be dropped off in CPC Danville's Main Office mail slot, marked with "Serve Day" or "Fire Relief," respectively.

Get Involved

Sign up to get your Serve Day in a Box kit here. Sign up for projects at CPC Danville here and off-campus projects here.

See complete details about Serve Day projects at the church's website.

Watch scenes from last year's Serve Day: