Photo: Belmont Serves has something for everyone.

The Belmont Religious Council is proud to announce the 10th annual Belmont Serves, a day of service for and by the Belmont community, will take place on Columbus Day, Monday, Oct. 8.

The family-friendly event is when Belmont comes out on one morning a year to make the town a better place for all.

This year’s headquarters for Belmont Serves is First Church Unitarian Universalist, 404 Concord Ave. Sign up on belmontserves.org or at the door; there is a great number of meaningful work to go around.

“You can help make a real difference in our town, have some fun, and meet others who share a willingness to serve the community,” said Jen Hoyda, vice president of the Belmont Religious Council.

Schedule of Events

• 8:30 am: Breakfast for all at First Church Unitarian and sign in/project assignment
• 9:00 a.m. to noon: Service projects
• Noon to 12:30 p.m.: Pizza and ice cream and wrap up at the Unitarian church

Each volunteer/group will be able to sign up for a project then join a team which will work together for the morning – bonding and making our town a better place to be.

Projects will include but aren’t limited to the following:

• Door-to-door collection of items for the Belmont Food Pantry — ideal for families with young children as well as other groups
• Trails and conservation areas: Clearing trails at Lone Tree Hill
• An assortment of clean up and landscaping projects

Door-to-door collection for the Belmont Food Pantry— Teams of volunteers will be assigned to specific routes, collecting bags of groceries left at doorsteps for delivery to the Belmont Food Pantry. These grocery bags are distributed door-to-door throughout the town during the week before Belmont Serves day. This service touches 8,000 homes and supplies food and much needed toiletry items for countless individuals in need.

Conservation projects at Lone Tree Hill — You can help with pruning, parking lot maintenance and invasive vegetation removal at Lone Tree Hill (former McLean Property) conservation lands. Wear long sleeves and long pants to avoid poison ivy. We will supply the tools, or bring clippers or loppers. This is a wonderful activity for families and individuals to spend time beautifying nature in our lovely fall weather.

Clay Pit Pond clean-up: Volunteers will work on pruning existing shrubs, cutting/removing invasives, and picking up trash and debris. “Last year, over the course of a couple of hours, walking the full perimeter of Clay Pit pond, I had the pleasure to get to know a fellow member of the community and bond over travel stories. This is someone I might have never otherwise met and it made me feel more connected to my town.” a volunteer said.

Learn more at belmontserves.org and sign up to volunteer!

About Belmont Religious Council:

The Belmont Religious Council was founded in April, 1954 as an organization of the various faith communities that serve Belmont. Its purpose is “to enhance the spirit of unity through fellowship, to develop understanding and appreciation for the various religious faiths represented and to exert a positive influence in the social and moral life of the Belmont community.”

By promoting interfaith dialogue and cooperation, the Council can also help enable Belmont’s faith communities to pursue important goals generally not attainable by a single congregation.