The Thousand Ten Project is set for Saturday at Shields Park in Seymour.
Organizers and volunteers will meet at the park at 11 a.m. and will have music and a message before setting out to complete projects for those in need.
It’s the eighth year that volunteers from various congregations will take part in the event.
Tina Stark, treasurer of The Alley, 416 E. Second St., said organizers already have a list of about 40 families in need.
The goal is for the event to have 10 groups of 10 volunteers, each bringing $10 to have at least $1,000 or more of impact in the community.
“It depends how many people will show up to help with the work we set out to do,” Stark said of how much money will be spent.
Some of that work may include getting groceries, paying utility bills, painting, paying for prescriptions, filling a gas tank and more.
Sometimes, the work cannot be completed on the day of the event, she said.
“We sometimes will come back later, like if we have to build a wheelchair ramp or something,” Stark said.
The event has about 300 volunteers on average, depending on the weather, and Stark said one year, it drew about 700.
The event was first organized in 2011 by former pastor Rick Wilson. Wilson moved to Florida earlier this year after retiring from the ministry here.
Former pastor Stevie Lockman guided the event last year but later resigned and left The Alley.
The congregation has yet to hire a full-time minister of its own but relies on pastors from other local congregations to lead the church.
Mitchell McIntyre, lead minister at Brownstown Christian Church, said he preaches at the church about three times a month.
It’s the second year he has been involved in the Thousand Ten Project, and he said it helps local Christians show the love of Jesus through work.
“It’s all about trying to help people and letting them know that God loves them and there are people in this community that love them, too,” he said.
Stark agreed and said the event aims to help people that need a hand up, not a handout.
“We don’t judge anyone because everyone is down on their luck at some point,” she said.
The Alley’s praise band will play music, and speakers will talk about Celebrate Recovery, an addiction recovery support group that meets Wednesdays at the church.
The event is a supplement to the other work the congregation does in the community to share their faith with others, Stark said.
The Alley serves free meals from its kitchen Monday through Friday and has a food pantry open on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month. It provides other assistance, if possible, when people request it.
“There are so many needs in this community, and we’re trying to do our part,” Stark said.
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What: Thousand Ten Project
When: 11 a.m. Saturday
Where: Shields Park in Seymour
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