Hillsboro congregations seek volunteers to participate in citywide day of service
Sep 10, 2018 -- Posted by :By Cole Short, Hillsboro Banner
Residents in Hillsboro can lend a helping hand to their neighbors and community during a citywide day of service planned Saturday, Oct. 20.
“This will be an opportunity for people to meet some of our neighbors we don’t know and work to make this an even better place to live than it already is,” Julie Johnson, pastor at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Hillsboro, said Wednesday.
Johnson and Our Savior’s have been coordinating the outreach project and enlisted help from members of Hillsboro’s three other churches.
The volunteer effort mirrors the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s God’s Work, Our Hands annual day of service but isn’t limited to Lutherans.
Members from St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, St. John Lutheran Church and Hillsboro United Parish Church are signed up to help, Johnson said.
Residents who don’t consider themselves Christians also are encouraged to attend.
“Even though the four congregations in town don’t agree on everything, we all agree that we are called to serve,” Johnson said.
More than a half-dozen service projects are planned Oct. 20 ranging from picking up litter in Woodland Park to writing letters to U.S. soldiers to packing food headed for Liberia, Africa through the nonprofit Mercy Meals.
In addition, Curt Kaufman of Hillsboro is coordinating home projects for families or individuals who have physical limitations.
Those projects could include washing windows, cleaning out roof gutters or picking up branches from people’s yards.
Organizers tried to choose projects that cater to people’s interests and can be fulfilled by kids and adults alike, Johnson said.
“We wanted to have something for kids up to age 85,” she said. “So if somebody wants to be active and clean gutters or if they prefer to do something while sitting, we have those options.”
Since the outreach project is in its first year, Johnson said she’s unsure how many volunteers can be rounded up in October.
She’s hoping between 50 to 150 people participate, although high school and college sporting events on weekends pull families in different directions, she said.
The day of service will kick off with registration from 8:30-9 a.m. inside the Hillsboro Events Center.
After splitting into teams, volunteers will fan out into the community for two and a half hours before regrouping for a subs and pizza lunch at 11:30 a.m. inside the HEC.
Volunteers don’t have to register in advance. Participants can show up Oct. 20 ready to work, Johnson said.
Attendees are invited to bring a food item or monetary donation for the Kiwanis Food Pantry the day of the event.
People interested in receiving help with home service projects can contact Kaufman at 701-430-3244 prior to Saturday, Oct. 6.
“We think this is a good opportunity to take care of our community and our neighbors,” Johnson said.