MESA, AZ — While most people are trying to stay cool this summer, a group of Valley retirees is already hard at work on Christmas.

Every Tuesday morning inside Monte Vista Village in Mesa, dozens of residents gather around tables covered in paint, brushes, and holiday designs. Their mission is to create hand-painted Christmas stockings that will eventually be delivered to thousands of underprivileged children across Arizona.

Led by resident Nancy Westenfield and supported by the Phoenix Lions Club, the volunteers have painted nearly 1,000 stockings in just the past two years. The stockings become much more than holiday decorations — they're often filled with crayons, coloring books, candy and small gifts for children who may not otherwise receive much at Christmas.

The project traces its roots back more than two decades and continues today through the efforts of retirees who are proving that community service doesn't have an expiration date.

ABC15's Cameron Polom met the volunteers spending their summer preparing for Christmas and what keeps them coming back week after week. Watch the full Uplifting Arizona story in the video player above.