9/11 Day of Service

UPDATE: 

A Heartfelt THANK YOU to Our 9/11 Day of Service Volunteers! We are incredibly grateful to the more than 2,000 volunteers who came together for our 9/11 Day of Service, giving over 3,000 hours of their time to serve the community!

From food drives, garden and park cleanups, and school painting projects to assembling First Responder baskets and creating Birthday Boxes for children in need — the impact was truly inspiring.

🌳 Over 3,040 pounds of garbage and debris were removed from parks and trails.
🎁 300 Birthday Boxes were packed and donated to brighten the lives of local kids.
❤️ Countless others donated supplies or led their own projects across the city.

A special shoutout to our incredible volunteer planning committee, who spent months organizing and coordinating these efforts. This day wouldn’t have been possible without their dedication.

Together, we showed what community looks like. Thank you for making a difference. 💙

*****

Each year the City partners with other organizations in Saratoga Springs to organize a day of service in honor of 9/11. We invite families, friends, youth groups and service groups to join us for a project that benefits our community. This year these projects will take place on Thursday, September 11. Most will start at 6:00 PM. 

To pre-register individuals or groups for any pf the projects below, please use this link: Saratoga Springs 9/11 Day of Service - JustServe . This helps us plan for the number of volunteers, but you are not required to sign up. 

If you want to stay closer to home, we invite you to go for a walk in your neighborhood and see how you can help others. Pick up trash, sweep a trail or sidewalk, visit with a neighbor, clear debris that has gathered around a storm drain, or whatever you see that could make things a little better. 

First Responder Appreciation Bags 

Legacy Farms Senior Villas is joining Saratoga Springs City to honor our city’s firefighters and EMTs on the 9/11 Day of Service as we pay tribute to those who gave their all on that day, and for those who are keeping us from harm today. Friends in the community are invited to help put together bags of appreciation for our heroic servants on Wednesday, September 11th at the Villa’s Clubhouse, 493 E Meadow Ranch Lane, Saratoga Springs. 

We will deliver “Bags of Appreciation” with plates of homemade goodies for the two firehouses at mealtimes later that week. Donations to help buy the items can be sent by Venmo to @Mark-Taylor-606. 

Westlake/ Vista Heights Pantry Drive 6:00-8:00 PM Drop of food, hygiene and clothing items for the Westlake Pantry. We invite you to collect donations in your neighborhood ahead of time and designate someone to bring the items to the drop-off. Drive into the loop in front of the high school and volunteers will be there to help unload.

*ONGOING* Donations can still be taken to Vista Heights Middle School. Their pantry is open to community members in need. 

If you are unable to donate in person, donations can be made directly through the Alpine School District Foundation.

Birthday Box The Birthday Box is a “party in a box” that is anonymously delivered to children who may not otherwise have a celebration on their special day. In shelters, foster care, at home, and in the hospital— every child is worth celebrating. Our Birthday Boxes are filled with cake-making supplies, decorations,  books, toys, party essentials and educational activities. These custom birthday care packages provide at risk youth and food insecure families with a sense of normalcy and belonging. Register here to assemble kits. 

Sign up to donate items here   or shop the Amazon Wishlist to have items delivered to the foundation. 

Find out more about Birthday Box here.

This project will be held at Westlake High School from 6-8pm and is a great project for larger groups. We will also be accepting donations at locations across the city leading up to 9/11. Drop boxes are located at City Hall and at the Police Station for these items. 

Additional small-group projects are available here.

Park Clean-ups 6:00-8:00 PM We invite individuals, families and groups to come to a local park to help with beautification projects to keep our parks nice for everyone to enjoy. Good shoes, long pants and work gloves are recommended for each location. Garbage bags will be provided. Let us know you are coming and see all details at this link.  There will be a volunteer coordinator in a neon vest at each location to help you get started. 

Inlet Park & Jordan River Trail Clean-up- 6800 N. Saratoga Road. Meet at the pavilion at Inlet Park. Bug repellant is recommended. 

Marina Clean-up- 1566 Harbor Park Way. Meet by the restroom building near the boat launch. 

Mountain Trail Park- 943 West 1200 North. Bring rakes and shovels if possible. Meet at the trailhead on 1200 N.

Shay Park- 516 Aspen Hills Blvd. Meet by the restroom building. 

Saratoga Ridge Park- 532 N. Mount Saratoga Blvd. Meet at the pavilion. Wear work gloves and good shoes. Projects will include weeding, picking up trash and painting inside the tunnel.