In a very successful effort, Riverbank City Council Member Stacy Call spearheaded a life jacket drive over the weekend.

Call, with assistance from Keryn Whitlow, set up shop at Jacob Myers Park on Saturday, May 31 and had a four-hour window for people to stop by and drop off donated life jackets.

The goal was to collect as many as possible to help keep residents safe as they start to get into the water now that the temperatures are on the rise. In fact, the region hit triple digits over this past weekend.

Call said they were collecting the vests to donate to the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. During the collection period on Saturday, a total of 129 jackets of varying sizes were donated, Call said, as well as cash to purchase 20 more. She said she expects the Parks Department will be able to use them both at the Community Swimming Pool they operate, as well as at Jacob Myers Park for those looking to splash around in the Stanislaus River.