100 volunteers tackle service projects at St. Mary Church in Riverside

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Kindness is infectious.

On Saturday, a group hoped to spread joy everywhere with a special day of service. One hundred volunteers tackled a dozen service projects at St. Mary Church in Riverside.

"Just a community of people you see that you're not doing this alone. There's multiple people beside yourself that are willing to help out the community and spread the love," said volunteer Ronaldo Mondragon.

The volunteers had tasks from packing supplies for the homeless to making holiday cards to sorting coats and clothing to give to those who need it most in the community.

And, they created random acts of kindness notes to distribute around the neighborhood.

"Just to maybe make someone's day. You never know what difference you make to somebody. You don't know what they're going through," said volunteer Alyce Pilarski.

They also filled stockings with cookies, chips and bars for active duty military personnel.

Saturday's effort is part of the Archdiocese of Chicago's Renew My Church initiative. The St. Paul VI Parish hoped this will encourage more people to act in service.

"Sometimes, just to do that first service project, it's a little daunting. So, if you do it as a group, maybe next time you'll sign up for something else. Once you see how fulfilling it is for yourself, then you want to do more," said Sue Jones with the St. Paul VI Parish Service outreach committee. "There's a lot of people out there who care about others and really want to help other people."