Serve Santa Maria Prepares for their 22nd community charity event

SANTA MARIA, Calif. -- Serve Santa Maria and over 15 local churches prepare for their annual volunteer event to clean and rebuild the community this Saturday, Aug. 20.

The non-profit has been holding this event for two decades with the exception of the 2020 pandemic.

“We had over 200 people and we completed the job in an hour and a half. I think everyone was blown away, I was blown away”, said Pastor Carl Nielson.

Serve Santa Maria is looking for volunteers to help with their projects throughout the city.

You can select any project listed below volunteers should arrive at 9 am.

There will be three community projects.

“We’re actually sending a group back to paint underneath the bridge again. I think every few years the city feels like we should take back that territory" said Nielson.

​Their main and annual event is Santa Maria Bridge Painting which helps cover graffiti at 2625 S College Drive. They will need approximately 25 to 35 people.

There is also Centennial Park to Paint the Gazebo at 2625 S College Dr 25 to 35 people are needed.

“We’ll be helping seniors trim bushes. We'd help them with things that they're not as able to do anymore. But some of us can. And so we hope to have several hundred people out Saturday. And if we do, we'll have an amazing day", said Nielson.

There third community project location is La Maria Mobile Home Park at 233 W. Monroe St. which will help the elderly with hand work around the mobile park. They will also need 25-35 people.

There are two school projects at the Santa Maria YMCA.

They will be painting the U.S. map on upper and lower playgrounds and coloring the entire playground. They need 25-35 people.

The second school project will be at Miller Elementary School.

They will also be painting the U.S. map and coloring the playground. They need 25-35 people.

“If you want to get what I call the helper’s high, you want to give and serve and help somebody else. Because when we give and when we love and when we serve, we get this feeling inside that can’t be duplicated", said Nielson.

For more information go to their website. https://www.servesantamaria.com/menu