Loveland Stake works under COVID-19 guidelines to hold annual Day of Service – Loveland Reporter-Herald

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Loveland Colorado Stake turned out for a socially distanced Day of Service on Saturday.

Worries about spreading the COVID-19 virus prompted a few changes in the annual day, which saw family groups given their own spots at River’s Edge Natural Area and Carter Lake to clean up.

Michele Van Hare, environmental education and open lands volunteer coordinator for Loveland Parks and Recreation, had the groups at River’s Edge focus on pulling and bagging thistle and curly dock, weeds the city staff wants to get under control at the area.

Janet and Dean Buck, their daughter Emilie Lewis and her husband Josh, and their sons Owen, 8, and Zack, 5, spent the morning working at River’s Edge.

“We like to do whatever we can to help,” Janet Buck said.

Her daughter said the boys didn’t stay focused on pulling weeds though.

“They’ve had a great time. They’re finding toads and fish and a dead fish and crawdads.”

But they were also great at spotting weeds for their parents to pull, she added.

Van Hare also got a chance to share some Native American lore with the boys, teaching them how to use a cottonwood leaf to craft a small tepee, and telling them Native Americans believed those heart-shaped leaves symbolize symbolize the hearts of the people.

The volunteers who turned out Saturday are a tremendous help, Van Hare said.

Thirty-two people worked for two hours each, equating to 64 hours worth of “pulling, plucking and picking” at River’s Edge, she said.

Despite some restrictions prompted by COVID-19, volunteers can still help out in the city’s natural areas, and can contact Van Hare at [email protected] to learn more.

The need for social distancing did keep the Loveland Stake from offering a quilt-making session that has been popular during past service days, Janet Buck said.

But the organizers did find plenty of ways for people to be of service, from the outdoor cleanups to a food drive for KidsPak and a blood drive, she said.

“While looking different due to the pandemic this year, we hope everyone will see this as an opportunity, either through working on one of the Stake projects or on one their own. The goal is to serve those around us, as Jesus looked to always serve those around Him,” organizers Mary and Rob Harris said in a statement about the Day of Service.

“Some people can’t do as much as others, so they do what they can,” Janet Buck, who has participated in many of the past service days, said. “People really appreciate it.”