Serve Santa Maria set to beautify city again; volunteers welcome to join Saturday

Laura Place, Santa Maria Times, Calif.
·2 min read

Jun. 25—Retired Pastor Carl Nielsen is inviting volunteers to join him this weekend for the relaunch of Serve Santa Maria during a day of service focused on cleaning, weeding and planting at local homes.

Saturday's event will mark the first cleanup by the local beautification organization since volunteers gathered at the Regal Edwards Theatre on South Broadway in September, with the COVID-19 pandemic limiting other operations.

Now, Nielsen is calling on local residents to bring their mowers, trimmers, weed wackers and other yard work tools at 8:30 a.m. to help out in northwest Santa Maria, particularly along West Monroe Street, West Carmen Lane and at Buena Vista Park.

"It's something all of us can do, no matter our political or theological views," Nielsen said of the volunteer opportunity. "We're testing the water to see if we're ready."

Efforts on Saturday will be largely focused on trimming trees and building a 50-foot fence for a home on West Monroe, with opportunities to offer lawn mowing and other services to neighboring residents, according to Nielsen.

"When the city contacted me about a particular house that needs some attention, when I went to visit I noticed many houses on the street that needed help. So, we are going to see what we can do," he said.

In addition to the "big project" on Monroe Street, the day of service will include tree planting and bark spreading at Buena Vista Park and graffiti removal along West Carmen Lane.

Rather than meeting at the usual headquarters at Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center, those interested in volunteering can meet at 502 W. Monroe St. on Saturday, where registration, a shade tent, snacks and water will be provided.

As Serve Santa Maria prepares for the day of service, smaller crews also have been working on removing dead and overgrown junipers at a home in Orcutt along Meadow Drive and removing a large pile of dirt from another residence, with the help of United Rentals.

According to Nielsen, the woman in the Orcutt home is in her 70s and has been too busy taking care of other family members to handle the yard work, so he stepped up to assist.

"This lady needs help here, so who's gonna do it? Why not me, why not us?" Nielsen said.

Residents do not need to sign up to help out on Saturday but are encouraged to let Serve Santa Maria know they are coming by contacting Nielsen at revcnn@gmail.com or 805-264-5959.