Saturday, Folsom put its 11th annual Community Service Day in the history book with approximately 2,000 volunteers contributing their time to over 65 diverse projects across the city and did the work to provide over 43,000 meals for those in need in the months to come.
From park cleanups to support for local seniors, the event showcased a strong spirit of community and collaboration, demonstrating how collective efforts can lead to meaningful change.
“Some smart people 12 years ago got together and said, you know what, there’s all kinds of projects that we can do if we got together. And many hands make light work,” said Mayor Mike Kozlowski. “Today, we’ve had 4,000 hands to get a lot of work done. Thank you all for participating.” His remarks highlighted the long-standing tradition of service that has grown in Folsom, inspiring residents to come together for a common cause.
This year, volunteers engaged in a range of group projects, offering more than 30 different opportunities in such fashion to give back. A standout effort was the critical roof repair project at the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary, where the ticket office and gift shop are undergoing renovations. The work was made possible through the combined efforts of Straight Line Roofing and the Rotary Club of Folsom.
Jack Borba, owner of Straight Line Roofing, explained the significance of this project for both the city and himself.
“The zoo is an iconic part of Folsom, and it’s especially close to my family. Our goal is always to provide materials and labor at cost, making these projects more affordable and impactful, Borba explained.
Volunteers from the Rotary Club assisted with preparatory work, ensuring the project’s success and reinforcing the spirit of community cooperation.
In addition to the zoo project, volunteers tackled several other important initiatives across the city. At Mercy Hospital of Folsom, volunteers worked on landscaping and irrigation, enhancing the hospital grounds for patients and visitors. Meanwhile, the Folsom Disc Golf Club hosted major events at BT Collins Park, where volunteers built a new wood-framed tee pad and made various course improvements, including moving rocks and spreading wood chips.
School campuses received a facelift, with volunteers spreading mulch at Folsom High School, Folsom Middle School, and Natoma Station Elementary School. At Carl Sundahl Elementary, volunteers constructed a new garden box and maintained the existing garden area, while at Blanche Sprentz Elementary, they helped spread mulch and lay pavers to beautify the campus for its students, many of whom come from low-income families.
The day also featured significant work at the Veterans Hall, where the Folsom VFW Post 6604 led a major hillside landscaping project that included erosion control, planting new vegetation, and setting up an irrigation system. Volunteers painted the exterior fence at the Steve Miklos Aquatic Center, cleaned up the Cummings Family Bike Park, and cleared branches at Lembi Park, where members of the Folsom Pickleball Club participated in trash removal.
One of the most impactful projects was the citywide food drive organized in collaboration with the Twin Lakes Food Bank. Facing a 20% increase in demand for food assistance, the food bank has been struggling with supply shortages.
Volunteers distributed 31,000 grocery bags in preparation for the drive, collecting much-needed non-perishable food items throughout the first half of the day Saturday, then delivering the thousands of bags to a drop point at Mount Olive Church near the food bank where an army of volunteers unloaded cars and sorted the foods that were then loaded into the Twin Lakes Food Bank trucks and stored in their warehouse facility.
This year’s food drive was particularly crucial due to the economic pressures many families are facing. The Twin Lakes Food Bank has seen a significant rise in families needing assistance while experiencing a decline in food donations. Tuter noted that the food bank’s shelves have been nearly bare, emphasizing the importance of community support
On Saturday, the parking lot at Mount Olive Lutheran Church was truly a hub for grub as volunteers collected bags of food being trucked in by volunteer drivers one after another. The unloaded food was quickly sorted and prepared for transport to the food bank’s additional warehouse for storage and eventual distribution to those in need.
The donations continued to add up throughout the day Saturday and even into the start of the week as various groups brought their collections to the food bank after the fact. When all was said and done, the food bank had over 55,000 pounds of non-perishable foods collected. According to Jessica Sorgea of the Twin Lakes Food Bank, that amount equates into 45, 833 meals for those in need of food assistance ahead.
In addition to food collection, several local organizations gathered essential items to benefit community members. Lakeside Church served as a drop-off point for various efforts, including collecting new or used bicycles to refurbish and donate to those in need, gathering eyeglasses for the Folsom Vision Project, and accepting yarn for the Hooks N Needles program at Folsom State Prison, where inmates create items for charitable organizations. Other efforts included a toy drive for children’s hospitals and hygiene products for Jakes Journey Home, supporting unhoused veterans and community members.
Volunteers also participated in helping seniors with household tasks. This year, 29 different projects were approved for seniors across Folsom, emphasizing the community’s commitment to supporting its older residents.
The efforts extended beyond beautification to enhance public spaces. Volunteers planted daffodil bulbs along Historic Sutter Street, contributing to the area’s charm. Additionally, those with a green thumb helped plant nine new trees around the Senior Center, Art Center, and Folsom Police Department parking lot, improving both the aesthetics and environmental health of the area.
The day concluded with heartfelt activities, including care package preparation for deployed military members organized by the Rolling Hills Blue Star Moms, as well as letter writing for women diagnosed with breast cancer through Girls Love Mail, organized by the Folsom Rotary Annes.
Mayor Kozlowski reflected on the significance of the event as he took the stage at Lakeside Chirch for the event kick off. What makes Folsom special are all inside of us. Your internal generosity is what makes this event the best thing ever,”he shared.
Participants donned brightly colored shirts, creating a vibrant atmosphere of camaraderie and shared purpose. The bright yellow shirts could be seen throughout the city tackling the list of projects that was far too long to mention every task, however, each project was equally important to the community.
In the end, Folsom Community Service Day once again continued to unite residents in meaningful ways, fostering a culture of giving back and caring for one another. The collaborative efforts not only beautified the city but also strengthened community bonds, demonstrating that together, residents can make a lasting impact.
This article wraps up an editorial series on Folsom’s annual Community Service Day by Folsom Times, a Visionary Sponsor of the annual event in partnership with the City of Folsom. Folsom Times founders Bill Sullivan and Adam Frick are both very much involved in Folsom’s Community Service Day as members of the event’s Steering Committee that works months in advance to plan and organize the event.
This year, that committee that’s been digging in to organize the event also included a group of individuals, some which have served previous years as well as new members, all whom were appointed to the position by the Folsom Parks and Recreation Department and are known to be dedicated to serving the Folsom community. The 2024 committee members include, Sandy Econome, Committee Chair; Tom Hellmann and Derik Perez, Co-Leads from the City of Folsom Parks & Recreation (P&R); Christine Brainerd, City of Folsom Communications; Ronni Lynn, Projects-Volunteers, City of Folsom Parks and Recreation; Ted Ocampo, Logistics, City of Folsom Parks and Recreation; Liz Vaage, Budget, City of Folsom Parks and Recreation; Jen Thiot, Sponsorship, City of Folsom Public Works; Mike Kozlowski, Mayor of the City of Folsom; Ashleigh Adams, SMUD; Mark Bahouth, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; Alma Becerra, Kaiser Permanente; Sally Buchanan, Choose Folsom; Jacob Cantu, Community Member; Stephen Costello and Shara Dzerigian, Century 21; Darnell Dumas, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento; Angela Griffin Ankhelyi, Folsom Cordova Unified School District; Lisa Hausmann, Dignity Health; Christina Hunt and Alisha Wilson, Lakeside Church; Greg Kiefer and Amy McBride, Community Members as well as former CSD chair Justin Raithel; Anthony Retodo M.D., Kaiser Permanente; Breanna Stambuk, Folsom Prison; and Brian Wallace, Parks & Recreation Commissioner.
See video from Saturday’s event produced by Folsom Times and many more photos below.