Weeks before thousands of volunteers fan out across Folsom for the city’s largest annual day of volunteerism, another large-scale effort took place Tuesday and Wednesday evening — preparing thousands of grocery bags that will soon land on doorsteps throughout the community.
Volunteers gathered Tuesday and Wednesday evening to begin preparing bags for the citywide food drive, one of the signature efforts of Folsom’s 13th annual Community Service Day, which returns Saturday, Sept. 19. The annual event mobilizes hundreds of volunteers of all ages to complete dozens of projects benefiting schools, parks, trails, nonprofit organizations, senior citizens and other areas of the community.
A number of city and community leaders also showed to lend a hand and rally the volunteers as the preparation effort got underway. Among those participating were Folsom Mayor Justin Raithel, Councilwoman Barbara Leary, City Manager Bryan Whitemyer and Folsom Cordova Unified School District Board of Education member Y.K. Chalamcherla.
The food drive benefiting Twin Lakes Food Bank has become one of the largest components of Community Service Day, but making it happen requires considerable work long before collection morning arrives.
As in previous years, volunteers are gathering ahead of the event to prepare grocery bags for distribution throughout Folsom. The process involves attaching a food bank wish list and collection instructions to each bag, creating thousands of ready-to-deliver donation bags.
It is a familiar scene for those who have participated in the annual effort. Tables become makeshift assembly lines as volunteers work their way through stacks of grocery bags and informational sheets, stapling the materials together before the bags are bundled for the next phase of the operation.
Once prepared, the bags will be handed off to another large group of volunteers. More than 400 volunteers are expected to distribute empty grocery bags and food wish lists to doorsteps across Folsom approximately one week before Community Service Day.
Residents are then asked to fill the bags with requested nonperishable food and place their donations where they can be clearly seen from the street by 8 a.m. on collection day. Volunteers will return on Community Service Day to collect the donations and transport them for sorting and delivery to Twin Lakes Food Bank.
Last year’s drive collected more than 56,000 pounds of food. This year, organizers hope to surpass that total as Twin Lakes Food Bank continues serving local families needing food assistance. The city says the food drive is intended to help provide food for more than 18,000 local families.
Among the food bank’s most-needed items this year are healthy cereal, canned chicken and tuna, chili, low-sodium soup and broth, and canned vegetables. Organizers note that the food bank currently has an ample supply of macaroni and cheese, ramen noodles and snack foods and is encouraging residents to instead donate other healthy pantry staples.
The scale of the food drive has grown alongside Community Service Day itself. Since the event began, more than 691,000 pounds of food have been collected for Twin Lakes Food Bank. More than 24,900 volunteers have participated in Community Service Day over the years, completing more than 1,130 projects throughout Folsom and more than 660 exterior home repair and maintenance projects for local senior citizens.
The advance bag preparation has become a Community Service Day tradition of its own. In 2024, several hundred volunteers gathered over two evenings at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Folsom to prepare more than 30,000 bags. Working along rows of tables in an assembly-line operation, volunteers attached instructions to the bags before they were distributed across the city.
That behind-the-scenes work is an important first step in an operation that ultimately stretches across neighborhoods throughout Folsom. After the bags are prepared and delivered, residents provide the donations, collection crews retrieve them and another team of volunteers sorts the thousands of pounds of food for storage and distribution through Twin Lakes Food Bank.
The food drive is just one piece of the larger Sept. 19 Community Service Day. The 2026 event will once again bring volunteers together for projects throughout Folsom while also supporting local nonprofit organizations and community needs. The effort is organized by the City of Folsom in partnership with businesses, nonprofit organizations, community groups and other local stakeholders.
For residents participating in the food drive, filled donation bags should be placed in front of their homes and clearly visible from the street by 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 19.
Plenty of ways to pitch in: Community Service Day sign-ups continue
While Tuesday night’s bag preparation put the massive food drive into motion, it represents just one piece of what will take place across Folsom when Community Service Day returns Sept. 19.
Volunteer registration remains open for the 13th annual event, with residents able to choose from a wide range of projects based on their interests, abilities and the type of work they would like to tackle. Hundreds of residents, families, businesses, service organizations, students, churches and community groups are expected to spread out across the city for the morning of service.
This year’s project roster stretches from Folsom’s parks and trails to school campuses, nonprofit organizations, Historic Folsom and projects directly assisting local residents.
Among the opportunities is a project benefiting the Folsom Police Department’s K9 Unit, where volunteers will work on a shed project. At BT Collins Disc Golf Course, volunteers will work on tee pads and construction of a shade structure, while Folsom Bike Park is also included in this year’s lineup.
In the Folsom Ranch area, projects include trail stenciling, cleaning stormwater drainage areas and a White Rock cleanup. Other outdoor projects include spreading mulch at McFarland Park, cleanup and mulch refreshing at Lew Howard Park and the Rotary Clubhouse, and cleanup work at Egloff Family Park.
Volunteers will also have an opportunity to put some creativity into their service by painting fire hydrants with patriotic themes.
Several projects will take place at The Bridge Community Church, including parking lot and stair line striping, tree trimming, curb replacement and renovation work involving the church’s Jesus stained-glass feature. Mt. Olive Lutheran Church, a presenting sponsor of Community Service Day, will also host a campus beautification project.
Local schools will once again be a major focus. Beautification projects are planned at Sutter Middle School, Gold Ridge Elementary School, Russell Ranch Elementary School, Blanche Sprentz Elementary School, Carl H. Sundahl Elementary School and Empire Oaks Elementary School.
Other opportunities focus directly on helping people. Neighbors Helping Seniors returns this year, connecting volunteers with projects assisting older Folsom residents with exterior home repairs and maintenance. Over the first 12 years of Community Service Day, volunteers completed more than 660 projects for local seniors.
The Folsom Senior Center will have a picnic table project, while volunteers at Mercy Creekview Manor Senior Housing will work on landscaping.
Those looking for something different from outdoor labor can find opportunities as well. Bears by Your Side will offer a sewing project, while Girls Love Mail is also among this year’s participating programs.
Powerhouse Ministries’ Residential Recovery Center is included on the project roster, as is Folsom’s Hope, where volunteers are expected to work on a swing set, reorganize the playground and anchor and paint a shade structure.
Historic Folsom will have several teams at work. Projects include weeding and mulch work at Historic Folsom Plaza, additional weeding and decomposed granite work, refinishing benches used for the seasonal ice rink and restringing and repairing the district’s snowman holiday display. Volunteers at the Folsom History Museum will refurbish the break room.
Environmental projects include litter removal along Folsom Boulevard and fire-fuel reduction work along Humbug Creek.
Community Service Day will also once again reach beyond physical improvements around town. Volunteers will assemble military care packages for service members, while a community donation drive and blood drive will also be part of the day.
The variety means residents do not necessarily need construction skills or the ability to perform strenuous outdoor work to participate. Opportunities range from painting, planting and cleanup to sewing, sorting, packing, driving and assisting with collection efforts.
Over its first 12 years, Folsom Community Service Day has drawn more than 24,900 volunteers who have completed more than 1,130 projects throughout the city. Along the way, volunteers have collected more than 691,000 pounds of food for Twin Lakes Food Bank, assisted hundreds of local seniors and assembled thousands of care packages for active-duty military personnel.
With Sept. 19 now a month away, residents interested in participating are encouraged to register early. Some projects have specific participation requirements or are coordinated for particular groups, while many others are open to the general public. Available spaces will continue to change as individual projects fill.
The 13th annual Folsom Community Service Day takes place Saturday, Sept. 19. Residents can review available projects, participation requirements and remaining openings and register through the official City of Folsom Community Service Day website.
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