DURHAM -- Hundreds of volunteers are spending the week cleaning up and helping neighborhoods in Durham. They're part of the three-year-old "Hope for Durham" project, which sends volunteers from local churches to spearhead community service projects. The week-long project wraps up this weekend.

Thursday morning a group from Summit Church cleaned up Long Meadow Park.

"We've got different groups of people all around the city doing things," said Jason Gaston, a volunteer and student minister at the church. "We've got volunteers at Eastway and Burton Elementary schools and other elementary schools in the area where they're painting hallways, scraping gum off chairs and desks and taking staples out of bulletin boards - all kinds of stuff."

Amy Kendall, a 24-year-old volunteer who joined the group at Long Meadow Park, said she enjoyed the community service projects.

"We've been finding a lot of glass, just random pieces of plastics, straws, paper, some balloons, a lot of cigarette butts," she said. "Gross stuff!"

Laura Langston, 12, said the group tackled other projects earlier in the week.

"We've passed out light bulbs and batteries for smoke detectors," Langston explained. "We gave out the energy-saving light bulbs."

Volunteers said lending a hand to neighbors is a simple way to make a difference.

"It actually makes you happy because you know you're helping someone out, a community, and it's real rewarding," said 11-year-old Garrett Walker.

Volunteers hope their presence sends a powerful message.

"Get off your couches, get out of your houses," Gaston said. "Begin to love and serve and be creative with the ways that you can do that."