Shine City Project: A Summer of Service
Photo courtesy of Shine City Project
It’s been a busy summer for the volunteers of Shine City Project — a group of young Unificationists who participate in recurring weekend service projects in and around Las Vegas. The group doubled their efforts this year, often volunteering for back-to-back projects the same day. “Despite the long days of service, we continued to do our best to offer our hearts and share love to everyone,” said Shine City Project (SCP) Director, Jeffrey Silerio.
Throughout June, July and August, Silerio led rotating service projects most weekends, partnering frequently with local nonprofits like Opportunity Village, the Doolittle Community Center, the Las Vegas Rescue Mission shelter, Ahern Orchard, and more. Volunteers took on a range of tasks, including cooking, cleaning, and serving food, but there were some usual projects, too.
On June 18, eleven SCP volunteers gathered at the entrance of Opportunity Village’s Magical Forest to clean giant event props — four horses and a carriage. “Normally, the Magical Forest is illuminated and lined up with people in the evening hours in December [for all the wintertime events], but it stood empty in the summer months and was waiting for the next opportunity to light up again,” said Silerio. “Our volunteers were there to help make the next event extra special ... We sprayed down the surface of the horses to help loosen up grain and dirt. Then, with plastic scrapers and brushes, we slowly shaved away at the small grains that were stuck to the horse. It was tough and meticulous work that was messy ... but we were able to remove a significant amount of embedded grains.”
Photo courtesy of Shine City Project
The following weekend, SCP was at the Doolittle Community Center “Pop Up & Give” event distributing boxes of food to those in need, including families and the elderly. “We had pallets of food to hand out, including canned and frozen vegetables, nectarines, milk, cheese, boxed mac and cheese, fish sticks, and corn dogs,” said Silerio. “The goal was to give away everything we had and leave nothing behind.”
Silerio recalled a mother and child who were particularly overwhelmed by the love and support they received at the food giveaway. “After filling [the mother’s] car trunk with food items, tears suddenly began to fall from her face,” said Silerio. “As it turned out, her family had come from Ukraine and were currently residing in Las Vegas as refugees. One of the volunteers rushed to console the mother and give her a hug.”
“It was surprising to learn that there was a family thousands of miles from home here at our local food distribution,” he said. “It was a humbling experience to be able to provide love and support for this family, but it was also a heartbreaking and reality-hitting experience as well. The events that are unfolding in Ukraine are unfortunate and tragic, and we pray that there can be more love and peace in this world. I hope the food that we were able to give could be a source of comfort for this family.”
Photo courtesy of Shine City Project
With more than a dozen service projects over the summer, SCP volunteers often connected with vulnerable community members in need of kindness and care. At the Las Vegas Rescue Mission in early July, the group served dinner to the shelter’s residents and refilled water pitchers on the table. “Although it was a simple task, it was meaningful to serve other people,” said Silerio. “Everyone enjoyed their dinner. Afterward, we helped clean up the dining tables and chairs and swept the floor. But some of our volunteers went above and beyond by helping to clean the floor in the kitchen area. The shelter’s staff members were incredibly touched by our dedication to help out even more.”
From handing out food and serving meals, to planting and harvesting produce at a community garden, SCP made this summer one of hard work and service. “In August, we returned to Ahern Orchard a year after our first visit,” said Silerio. “We had 14 volunteers who mostly participated together with family members. As we picked pluots from the trees, we inspected the fruit for any damage before placing them into bins.”
“It was nice being outdoors,” he said. “The orchard is such a precious gem in the middle of Las Vegas, as well as the Mojave Desert, but it was also a reminder that goodness always bears fruit.”
You can see more photos and service projects from Shine City Project here.