A Decade of Love: What started as a day of volunteerism has evolved into year-round community projects in Lodi

Apr. 11—What started as a single day of volunteers coming together to help their neighbors a decade ago has turned into a year-long effort to improve the Lodi community.
Love Lodi is celebrating 10 years of volunteerism this year, and the event has some 60 projects planned throughout the city.
"It seems like since we've taken the baton and moved to a year-round initiative, we've gained a lot of momentum," event co-organizer Timothy Stewart said. "Before COVID there was a lot of momentum. It's good to see it reignite now."
Love Lodi began in April of 2014 when Capt. Martin Ross from the Salvation Army and more than 100 volunteers undertook a variety of community service projects such as cleaning up schools and repairing front porches.
Every year since that time, volunteers spent the last Saturday in April donating clothes to nonprofits, delivering meals to homebound seniors and clearing Lodi Lake of debris. Stewart and his wife Tara took over as chair persons in 2023, and began implementing year-round volunteer opportunities such as beautification efforts at Lawrence Elementary and Lodi Middle schools in the fall, as well as hosting a backpack drive at Blakely and Hale parks during National Night Out in August.
That year, more than 700 volunteers tackled 70 different projects, and the Lodi City Council proclaimed the last Saturday in April officially "Love Lodi Day."
Stewart said more than 7,500 volunteers have participated in Love Lodi over the course of 10 years, representing a more than $1 million investment in work.
Notable projects lined up this year, he said, include cleaning the Grape Bowl and Heritage School.
Volunteers had already been to the stadium on March 28 to prepare for the Bay Breakers first game of the season. The Bay Breakers are one of 10 teams in the Women's Elite Rugby League, and April 26 will be the second outing to trim trees, pull weeds and clean the parking lot when the season is in full swing.
While volunteers have cleaned several Lodi Unified School District campuses over the last decade, the Heritage project will help prepare the grounds for a new mural to be painted in July, Stewart said.
Volunteers will also be taking to Kofu Park to paint the bleachers and dugouts on the baseball field.
"We're seeing a lot of newer locations for projects," Stewart said. "I'm seeing a lot of newer names, and a lot of newer people and volunteers coming together not only in April, but from spring to fall."
Last year, more than 1,000 volunteers worked on 60 projects, including clearing 20,000 square feet of debris at the World of Wonders Science Museum and donating 10,000 pounds of food to the Salvation Army.
Volunteers also filled 50 potholes with 1,250 pounds of asphalt from the City of Lodi and used four gallons of solution to clean Downtown Lodi streets, among other projects.
Stewart said he would like to have more civic groups and nonprofit organizations adopt schools for projects in the future, and he is planning on holding a "Loving Lodi" dinner in October to honor the different residents and community members who have volunteered over the years.
"This just feels like a great year to honor the volunteers and champion their volunteerism," he said. "That's what Love Lodi is about. We're more than just a city-wide volunteer day. We're a movement that champions volunteerism and leads with love, laying our time, energy and resources down for the good of our city no matter what."
To volunteer for a project this year, visit lovelodi.org.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Yahoo

3 hours ago

• Yahoo

The moment I knew: as I signed the waiver for his emergency brain surgery, I felt pure devotion

In 2022, I was going through motions. I was burned out after shepherding two restaurants through Melbourne's Covid lockdowns and emotionally burned to the ground by a failed marriage. It had been a big few years; I had sworn off love and was taking life slowly. Despite all this, in late spring I found myself chatting online with a charming gardener-cum-physicist called Scott. A few weeks later, our first phone call lasted until the sun came up. I had been captivated by his boundless capacity for a chat but I didn't hear from him for a few weeks after that. I wondered if it was because I'd asked him on more than one occasion to pipe down so I could contribute to the conversation, or if my cynical side had made an unflattering appearance in my wine haze. Related: The moment I knew: I'd had lots of lovers during our open relationship – then I realised I could trust him with my life But no love was lost, Scott reappeared a few weeks later and we recommenced our correspondence with vigour. On New Year's Day 2023 I invited him over. It was another all-nighter of nonstop chatting and we talked at length about the dire state of my garden. A couple of weeks later he showed up completely unannounced, secateurs in hand, ready to tackle it. What I've learned about Scott since is that his love language is very much 'acts of service'. He is so happy to help anyone with their annoying tasks; he just loves being helpful. But of course my first encounter with his knight-in-shining-armour routine made me feel very special indeed. Unfortunately, in my shame, I'd already paid someone to get my yard in shape (not that I admitted the outsourcing to him). Impressed by the work I hadn't done and hellbent on making himself useful, Scott decided he'd clean out the gutters. We got up on the roof and worked together – Scott doing the dirty work and me climbing up and down the ladder with the bucket. Sharing this mundane task was an unexpected bonding experience. We'd later talk about how seen and safe we felt in each other's company that day. It's gone down in the annals of our relationship as 'Gutter Day'. He moved in about six months later. I couldn't believe myself, the dainty goth courting a gruff tradesman. I began working at a bar and we continued to livestream our thoughts via text while he was at home and I flirted with strangers and upsold wanky wines. Just a few weeks later, in late June, I came home to find Scott sleeping. We'd always chat over a nightcap together before retiring, so this was unusual. But he'd been working hard so I didn't worry too much until the following day. When he was still drowsy the next evening, something felt off. I called our neighbour Michelle, an emergency nurse, who suggested we go to hospital. By the time we arrived Scott was struggling to string a sentence together and was whisked away within moments of being triaged. When they wheeled him back post-MRI, he was soft, tired and looking so vulnerable. Then the news came that Scott had a 1.1cm subarachnoid aneurysm on his brain that had been haemorrhaging for maybe 24 hours. I went as white as a sheet but it quickly became apparent that I was going to have to save my emotional breakdown for later, step up, contact his family (whom I'd never met) and make some extremely high-stakes decisions about his treatment path. It was then and there, as I was confronted with the idea that I might lose him, that I knew I could not be without him. As I nervously signed the waiver, I felt pure devotion. Related: The moment I knew: I worried he was a playboy, then a friend reassured me Scott's surgery went well but he was placed in an induced coma for a few days. When he came to he had zero filter. That rawness could have revealed a darker side but instead I got confirmation that even at his most uncensored, Scott is kind and caring to the core. One of his most vivid hallucinations, which he told me about in detail, involved him spending the entire night helping the nurses catch up on their paperwork. Scott came home two months later and, while his recovery wasn't without its frustrations and challenges, the mere thought of being anywhere else didn't cross my mind. Of course there were days I could have slept in the garden in a tent just to get a break from his incessant chatting but I knew I would never, ever leave him. He was my guy, no matter how many times I had to repeat myself, or listen to him repeat himself! Two years on, Scott has pretty much fully recovered and is still the same gorgeous dork I fell in love with. We spend our days pottering in the garden, or at the stove, or by the fire on cold nights. The dark days seem like another life but they weren't – they were just the beginning of ours.

Yahoo

11 hours ago

• Yahoo

'Survive, nothing more': Cuba's elderly live hand to mouth

With a monthly pension barely sufficient to buy 15 eggs or a small bag of rice, Cuba's elderly struggle to make ends meet in one of Latin America's poorest and fastest-aging countries. As the communist island battles its deepest economic crisis in three decades, the state is finding it increasingly hard to care for some 2.4 million inhabitants -- more than a quarter of the population -- aged 60 and over. Sixty is the age at which women -- for men it's 65 -- qualify for the state pension which starts at 1,528 Cuban pesos per month. This is less than $13 at the official exchange rate and a mere $4 on the informal street market where most Cubans do their shopping. "Fight for life, for death is certain," vendor Isidro Manuet, 73, told AFP sitting on a sidewalk in the heart of Havana, his skin battered by years in the sun, several of his front teeth missing. "I manage to live, survive, nothing more," he said of his meager income that allows him to buy a little food, and not much else. As he spoke to AFP, Manuet looked on as small groups of people walked by his stall carrying bags full of food. They were coming out of Casalinda, one of several part government-run megastores that sells goods exclusively to holders of US dollars -- a small minority of Cubans. Most rely instead on informal stalls such as the ones Manuet and other elderly Cubans set up on sidewalks every morning to sell fruit, coffee, cigarettes, candy, used clothes and other second-hand goods. - 'Things are bad' - Near Manuet's stall, 70-year-old Antonia Diez sells clothing and makeup. "Things are bad, really bad," she sighs, shaking her head. Many of Cuba's elderly have been without family support since 2022, when the biggest migratory exodus in the country's history began amid a crisis marked by food, fuel and medicine shortages, power blackouts and rampant inflation. More beggars can be seen on Havana's streets -- though there are no official figures -- and every now and then an elderly person can be spotted rummaging through garbage bins for something to eat, or sell. The Cuban crisis, which Havana blames on decades of US sanctions but analysts say was fueled by government economic mismanagement and tourism tanking under the Covid-19 pandemic, has affected the public purse too, with cuts in welfare spending. As a result, the government has struggled to buy enough of the staples it has made available for decades to impoverished Cubans at heavily subsidized prices under the "libreta" ration book system. It is the only way many people have to access affordable staples such as rice, sugar and beans -- when there is any. Diez said she used to receive an occasional state-sponsored food package, "but it's been a while since they've sent anything." - 'No future' - This all means that many products can only be found at "dollar stores" such as Casalinda, or private markets where most people cannot afford to shop. According to the University of Havana's Center for Cuban Economic Studies, in 2023 a Cuban family of three would have needed 12 to 14 times the average minimum monthly salary of 2,100 pesos (around $17) to meet their basic food needs. Official figures show about 68,000 Cubans over 60 rely on soup kitchens run by the state Family Assistance System for one warm meal per day. At one such facility, "Las Margaritas," a plate of food costs about 13 pesos (11 dollar cents). Pensioner Eva Suarez, 78, has been going there daily for 18 months. "The country is in such need. There's no food, there's nothing," she told AFP, adding her pension is basically worthless "because everything is so expensive." Inflation rose by 190 percent between 2018 and 2023, but pensions have not kept pace. Some are losing faith in communism, brought to the island by Fidel Castro's revolution, and its unfulfilled promises such as a liter of subsidized milk for every child under seven per day. "I have nothing, my house is falling apart," said Lucy Perez, a 72-year-old economist who retired with 1,600 pesos (about 13 dollars) a month after a 36-year career. "The situation is dire. The nation has no future." It's not just the elderly suffering. Cuba was rocked by unprecedented anti-government protests in 2021, and students have been rebelling in recent months due to a steep hike in the cost of mobile internet -- which only arrived on the island seven years ago. In January, the government announced a partial dollarization of the economy that has angered many unable to lay their hands on greenbacks. rd-jb/lp/mlr/sms/ksb

Hamilton Spectator

13 hours ago

• Hamilton Spectator

Open Garden Week 2025: Here's where and when you can visit Hamilton-area private gardens

Listings are organized geographically and by their first open date. Please check listings carefully and visit only during listed hours. If a garden is closed due to unforeseen circumstances, please respect owners' signs or notices. Accessibility information is provided by the garden owners and is not verified. Ilona Feldmann: A small residential garden transitioning from non-native plants to native plants, with a focus on perennials that provide food and habitat for insects and birds. A very large silver maple is a feature in the backyard. Terry McCarthy and Marilyn Renwick: This small hidden garden is a bit of a surprise in an urban neighbourhood. Two levels, a spiral staircase and dense plantings. Trees, vines, perennials and flowering shrubs attract many birds and provide many hours of entertainment and respite. A purpose-built COVID-19 office on the main level is now used more as a backyard cottage. Uneven ground and steps from the street may be a challenge for some. Lennox Toppin: 'FIVE. 2025. Five years since pandemic darkness. High 5. And my 5th, and final, presentation of my garden in Open Gardens — where I am thrilled to finally unveil my fifth garden theme (after: love, sex, death, and decay) … RAGE. The No. 1 question I've been asked is 'will the mannequins make a return?' — and I don't have an answer for that, I have yet to ask them.' 80 gardens across Hamilton area welcome visitors for last Open Garden Week Allyn Walsh: This is a small urban garden transitioning to primarily native plants. The front is densely planted with many natives, and food is grown in containers on the former parking pad. Rose Janson: With 15 different native trees, and many blooming shrubs and perennials, this downtown backyard forest teems with birds and butterflies. Very cool. Two steps to access. Barbara Evans: The garden is 25 years old. What was once a long rectangle of thin grass surrounded by Manitoba maples has gradually become a partially shaded, mostly green space that includes various evergreens and deciduous shrubs, hostas and other perennials. It is somewhat overgrown and a little on the wild side, but we persevere. Emily Brown and Tony Porter: 'Our front and back yards are entirely filled with perennial flowers, shrubs and trees, with no grass. Our garden is constantly changing and adapting; a sanctuary to contemplate nature.' Karin Eckart: 'The gardens, front and back, are very accessible via side gate. I love the old roses, my new wall of hops, the water feature and the raised beds. Also two vegetable beds; house plants getting a summer holiday!' Miranda Lumley: 'Our garden is quite compact and is full of texture, shapes and colour. We are slowly transforming it into a lush oasis. Learning as it grows. It has earned Trillium awards in 2023 and '24.' Andrea Fackelmann: 'Nearly 35 years of gardening adventure in my predominantly shade garden. Rough brick paths wind through over 90 hostas, heucheras, ferns and more. Gardens are designed for minimal care with maximum impact. Accessible but house is on a hillock.' Sue and Martin Keller: Front and side only. 'We are keen gardeners. We have a rain garden at the front, designed and established via the Green Venture rain garden program. All native plants. We have 19 varieties of heirloom tomatoes growing beside the house.' Patricia Barton: Featured in The Spectator as the maker of the 'tiny perfect garden.' Quite small, but colourful, with mostly perennials (and with lots of Joe-pye weed!) Member of Garden Hamilton, Mount Hamilton Horticultural Society (MHHS). Marilyn Nameth: A largely perennial garden — front and back — in transition. A black walnut tree, a new (and attractive) fence and the owner's recalcitrant back means that visitors will have to take the garden as it is. (Editor's note: The garden delights everyone who sees it — except the owner!) Rob and Jane Howard: A small mixed garden that is always in progress and always two weeks behind everyone else's (because of the owner's procrastination). A few interesting plants and an expanding collection of trees. The pond would otherwise be lovely, but the waterfall is 'no more! It has ceased to be! It's expired and gone to meet its maker! … Bereft of life, it rests in peace! … It's rung down the curtain and joined the choir invisible. This is an ex-waterfall!' (Pace, John Cleese) But do come by. Member, Garden Hamilton, MHHS. Jennifer and Edward Early: A naturally evolving garden encouraging pollinators with a variety of perennials and some native species. Rita Bailey: 'Almost everything in this garden feeds something: the birds (berries and seeds), the pollinators (native plants), the residents (the veggies) and the neighbourhood (senses). This is a garden in transition and some areas are still 'under construction.'' Member, Garden Hamilton, MHHS. Helen Kirkpatrick: 'Behind the Garden Gate — a fairy garden and a memory garden, featuring roses, varied clematis, climbing hydrangea, and many and diverse native plants.' Carole: 'My front flower garden was recently relandscaped to include a Korean lilac and a Japanese Juniper. The side-yard birch tree shades my home, hostas and shade-friendly flowers. The herb garden that is made secluded by the Rose of Sharon hedge features a water fountain and a metal art piece. Stephen and Claire Kostyshyn: 'Our enclosed, four-season garden has unusual miniature and dwarf conifers, Japanese maples, other woodies, interesting rocks, ornamental grasses and 40-plus hostas. Textural and soothingly tranquil. Our garden is wheelchair accessible.' John Zimmerman: 'Visit our sanctuary nestled against the escarpment. A mixture of plants and articles of interest throughout the garden.' Anna Strobl: 'Inside the beautifully restored Victorian wrought iron fence is a large urban oasis featuring perennials, vegetables, berries, conifers, and flowering shrubs. Lovingly tended over the past 55 years.' Member, Garden Hamilton, MHHS. Mike and Linda Wojcik: 'A little bit of everything: perennials, annuals, trees, vegetable garden, fruit and a small pond. Oh, and a few weeds too! A hilly property.' Christiane Vieler and Paul Stewart: Corner property. Front, side and back open. A charming and interesting perennial garden displaying both native and non-native plants. A backyard pond and garden offer a tranquil spot to relax. Dave and Cathy Cummins: 'Sixty years ago, we moved to a house on a third of an acre with grass, a hedge and a sea of dandelions. Since then we designed, built and still maintain a garden oasis with an astounding number of perennials, shrubs and a beautiful collection of mature trees. Dave's interest is in design and mainly propagation; he grew our gingko tree from a seed in 1967. Cathy's focus is the design. A pergola, pathways, statuary, greenhouse and vegetable garden add interest. Featured on garden tours, in magazines and TV. Not wheelchair accessible.' Don & Joan Morgan: 'Some call it work, we call it fun! Two acres with an assortment of annuals, perennials, raised beds and trees. Red dawn, numerous dogwoods etc. Look forward to sharing with you!' Margaret Walton and Bruce Peart: Small garden in raised beds on a slope. Three hundred perennials, a small native garden, patio planters, wall planters and a small water feature. Karen Lawrence: Welcome to an award-winning sustainable garden that fosters quality habitat for native flora and fauna. The garden is home to more than 100 native perennials, shrubs, trees, and grasses creatively designed into rain gardens, prairie, and shaded woodland. We grow vegetables as well! The garden is a 'working' ecosystem and you will see areas in various stages of restoration. Both front and rear gardens are open. Laurie and Mike Joyce: 'Want to see what grows in a windy, cool, arid garden? Come see the garden Rob Howard dubbed the 'Chill Zone.'' A variety of plants and pollinators, watered by rain. Emma and Ron Begert: 'We are currently in a rental house (hoping to buy again soon) but we have still created our happy space and have budget-friendly ideas to share with others who may be waiting to find their forever home as well.' Seedlings distributed at a past Open Garden Week stop. Gretha Mikula: A welcoming garden in a tranquil setting showing a labour of love and surprise eclectic art. Doris Ann Etherington and Ken Hyde: 'A garden started in 2015, emphasizing collected perennials and native plants on an irregular shaped lot. Sun and shade, a little bit of everything in a suburban setting, with a few surprises. Accessible for the views on concrete sidewalks.' Mary Roussel: 'A calming, colourful garden with plants for all seasons. Many paths and benches allow quiet viewing of rocks, trees, water features, native plants and birds.' Tricia and Gerry Shulist: 'Grass-free front lawn with a bubbling rock. Multi-level backyard with a pond, three raised beds, 30-year-old wisteria, and lots and lots of hostas. Main level of the backyard is accessible.' (Three kilometres west of roundabout on Hwy. 52.) Al and Carol Payne: 'One acre of hilltop country gardens, 50 years of work building various gardens. Lots of potted containers, hosta, oriental grasses, raised iris beds, along with various shrubs and a rock garden.' Irene Schieberl: 'Still a massive work in progress, no lawns, but plenty of invasive weeds. Transitioning to as many native plants as possible. Many birds attracted to the pond.' Member, Garden Hamilton, MHHS. Ann Bennett: Winding pathways through perennial gardens, interspersed with flowering shrubs, evergreens, patios, ponds; a gazebo and towering black walnut trees for shade, a raised bed garden enclosure for vegetables, all complemented by steel and glass garden art. Cecil and Marjorie Cooke: 'We are in our 80s and still gardening. On our large property there are sun and shade plants as well as a huge vegetable garden. A great variety.' Members, Garden Hamilton, MHHS Laurie and Greg White: Cosy backyard. Quilting meets gardening. Lots of shade perennials and whimsy. Uneven grass path. Fireflies at dusk. Gerry and Ryan Benson: Our small, all-season garden features a variety of perennials — roses, peonies, clematis, perennial hibiscus, and hostas — and is framed by several Japanese maples, pines, and cherry trees, with a few exotic surprises that come out for summer, as well. Mobility accessible. Norm Nelson: 'My garden is 33 years in the making with multiple revamps! It is mostly a lawnless shade garden with perennials, ferns, hostas, evergreens and trees. It has multiple bird baths, metal artwork, pots, urns and statues. A neighbour describes it as Narnia. It's a tranquil setting in a suburban environment.' Kathy Gallagher: 'Immerse yourself in the tranquility of a lovely, peaceful shady perennial garden surrounding the rear yard including a small water feature.' Mitch and Kathy: A pondless waterfall, a garden/landscape sound system with bird and nature sounds, creating an 'experience.' The evening visits would be amazing for gardeners: The lighting for the gardens is truly another experience, creating a dreamy ambience. Accessible. Kathy and Boris Spiwak: The texture and contrast of hostas, ferns, grasses and shade perennials, the sound of water trickling into the pond — all appease the senses under the canopy of Sherwood Forest. Classically informal with a touch of creativity. Member, Garden Hamilton, MHHS. Rubina Khitab: A perennial and hosta garden with lots of whimsy. Come and get some ideas for garage sale items, thrift store treasures and items retrieved from the side of the road placed around the garden. The garden is walker and wheelchair accessible. Diane and Jason Naiker: 'This corner property has no grass, just carefree perennials and shrubs. Annuals in pots are the only plants that get water. Also a large veggie garden.' Member, Garden Hamilton, MHHS. Maryann Botts: 'A beautiful sloping perennial garden with various vegetables, herbs, native and pollinator plants in the mix.' Member, Garden Hamilton, MHHS. Eva Kuehlem: 'I have an extremely large lot, about a half-acre. There are all perennial plants, flowering bushes and native plants. There are over a hundred varieties of plants throughout the garden and also a small vegetable garden. Not all of the garden is for people with mobility issues.' Member, Garden Hamilton, MHHS. Giles and Betty Beaudoin: 'From front garden highlighted with Japanese red maples through our courtyard to secluded natural back oasis with waterfall, stream, ponds. Heirloom tomatoes from collected seeds.' Writer Rob Howard, centre, with a quartet of visitors in his garden in 2012. This is the 30th and last edition of Open Garden Week. (See Garden Walk listings at end.) 982 Concession 8 W. Sue and Gord Taylor: 'We have naturalized our one acre property, catering to birds, bees and butterflies. You will find a Japanese Teahouse, one of a kind she-shed, garden pond, raised bed vegetable gardens, and many brick paths through extensive rock gardens. We have been a recipient of a Trillium Award, a Monarch Award and participated in the Carnegie Gallery Secret Garden Tour.' Annamarie Fackelmann and David Harpur: 'This large garden bordering a ravine features many perennials, deer-resistant plants, shrubs, and Carolinian trees, as well as a vegetable garden, two beehives and a small greenhouse. Accessible.' Margaret Hunsperger: 'Wheelchair accessible walkway, 300 different varieties of hosta, two metasequoia, many Japanese maples, perennials and annuals for pops of colour, pond with soothing waterfall.' Ruth Moffatt and Jim Howden: A four-season garden that takes its cues from nature, with Lake Ontario as a magnificent backdrop. Featured in The Spectator in 2011. Mary Galli: 'Welcome all to my countryside garden, where you can stroll across the lawns and enjoy flower beds and different trees that give shade and beauty.' There are gardens open from Burlington to Grimsby and south to Haldimand. Listings supplied by Flamborough Horticultural Society. FHS has a tent at 130 Mill St. for more information. Gardens are open Saturday, June 28 and 29, unless noted, and all times are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. unless specified.