Hundreds of people in our area got permission from their pastor to skip church Sunday, but that didn't mean they were home sleeping in.
Instead, they spent their Sunday lending a helping hand.
Seven-hundred members of Greenford Christian Church spread out across Mahoning and Columbiana counties Sunday offering help at 30 different locations.
Some of the volunteers tackled various jobs at the Beatitude House in Youngstown. The group spent hours painting and cleaning for free.
"Just to show the love of Jesus Christ to the people in the community, and to be the church you're supposed to get out of your seats and go and serve the people. So we're being the hands and feet of Jesus today and it feels good to do something for somebody that's not expecting it," said one of the volunteers.
"We have women with many small children so we don't have as many hands available to do all of the tasks that these church people are doing today. It's wonderful that we have volunteers throughout the year who offer to come and help us do whatever projects we need," said Sister Mary Alyce Koval, Beatitude House.
Earlier in the day, other members of the same church made a special delivery to Akron Children's Hospital in Boardman.
They drove in on motorcycles, revving their engines to let the kids inside know they had arrived. They brought with them 500 stuffed animals for the little patients hoping it would brighten their stay.
"Ya know some of them are in bad shape. A lot of them, if they see something like that especially from someone they don't even know, really makes a difference to them because they know someone cares outside of the people treating them," said Kerry Beeson, member of Greenford Christian Church.
Beeson said it's a great opportunity because it gives them a chance to reach out to the community.
