Blue Zones Project Riverside is looking for 50 volunteers this Saturday, Nov. 7, to help turn a newly renovated house into a home for young children and their families experiencing homelessness.
Working alongside Family Promise of Riverside, volunteers will build a backyard playhouse and add the finishing touches inside Bright Horizons, a house owned by All Saints Episcopal Church. The home will shelter families leaving the hospital after childbirth with nowhere else to go, and the first families are scheduled to move in this January.
A growing need
The number of local families without stable housing has climbed quickly. In 2025, 294 Riverside County families experienced homelessness, according to the Point-in-Time Count, the annual one-night tally of people experiencing homelessness. That is more than double the number of unstably housed families recorded two years earlier.
The need shows up in Riverside classrooms, too. Riverside Unified School District and Alvord Unified School District together report 3,722 unhoused students from transitional kindergarten through 12th grade.
Organizers say Riverside County has taken great strides to make sure these families have shelter, and they point to Bright Horizons, managed by Family Promise of Riverside, as an example of local organizations working together to meet that need.
No experience required
Volunteers will work in two teams alongside Blue Zones Project Riverside. The indoor team will organize the home's shared living spaces and stock them with decor and resources focused on well-being. The outdoor team will assemble a specially designed playhouse from local builders at Gigi's Playhouses.
No construction experience or special skills are needed. Organizers say the day is a good fit for work teams, civic groups, families or anyone looking to give back to their community ahead of the holidays.
"Well-being is for everyone," Blue Zones Project Riverside Executive Director Erin Edwards said in a statement. "Our vision is to make the healthy choice the easy choice for everyone, everywhere, especially for our most vulnerable Riversiders."
Healthy habits built into the house
Edwards said Blue Zones teaches what it calls the "Core 4," a set of healthy habits practiced throughout all Blue Zones, and that the work at Bright Horizons shows how those habits can be woven into daily life through small, simple nudges.
The first habit, "Move Naturally," is where the playhouse comes in. It is meant to get children outdoors for imaginative, hands-on play, an important part of a child's development.
For "Right Outlook," volunteers will set aside a calm, low-stimulation space with soft lighting where residents can relax and destress. Under "Connect," welcoming common areas are designed to help residents build a supportive circle of friends, which Blue Zones calls a "Positive Pack," to ease isolation and help families put their "Loved Ones First."
And to "Eat Wisely," the kitchen will feature a fruit bowl on the table, fridge magnets listing longevity foods and "Plant Slant" recipes from the Blue Zones cookbooks, all meant to make healthy eating as easy as possible.
"Investing in the health of our neighbors, housed and unhoused alike, builds a healthier community," Family Promise of Riverside Executive Director Claire Jefferson-Glipa said in a statement. "We are so grateful for this investment and partnership from Blue Zones Project Riverside."
The volunteer day is a partnership between Blue Zones Project Riverside, Gigi's Playhouses, Bright Horizons at Family Promise of Riverside and All Saints Episcopal Church.
How to help
When: Saturday, Nov. 7. Volunteers can sign up for one of two shifts, 9 a.m. to noon or 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Meet at All Saints Episcopal Church, 3847 Terracina Drive, Riverside.
Sign up: Register on Eventbrite
Questions: Contact Erin Edwards, executive director of Blue Zones Project Riverside, at erinedwards@bluezones.com or 815-793-4957. Learn more at bluezonesprojectriverside.com.
