DENVER -- Neighbors who live near Mestizo-Curtis Park in Denver were awoken to a scurry of activity Wednesday morning as delegates for the Democratic National Convention took a break and helped plant trees.

At dozens of community service sites in and around Denver delegates to the DNC helped out in projects ranging from serving meals for the homeless and park cleanup, to reading to children and aiding military.

Michelle Obama, wife of presumptive Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama, made a surprise appearance at Mestizo-Curtis park.

Because of security concerns, officials did not announce the visit to the local neighborhood, said Jill McGranahan of Denver Parks and Recreation.

The visit was "very cool" said Colorado delegate 18-year-old Ben Tabor.

Story: Read Ben's DNC Blog

Tabor, the youngest delegate from Colorado, teamed up with four other people and helped plant a tree on the south side of the park.

"These projects are our way of saying thank you to the people of Denver, our gracious hosts this week," Obama told the crowd. "We hope the more than one thousand delegates taking part in the many service projects across Denver today will carry that commitment to service back to help their communities long after our Convention is over."

Chatting about the previous night inside the Pepsi Center, Tabor summed up his experience this week as "an amazing experience."

McGranahan said 59 trees were planted in the park as part of Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's Million Tree initiative.

Hickenlooper said a simple project like planting trees helps homeowners save energy in air conditioning and reduce carbon emissions.

New York first lady Michelle Page Paterson talked about Democrats efforts to make the DNC the most green in party history.

New York donated three Coke Cherry trees for the project.

"It was quite a compliment that delegates would do this for the community," McGranahan said.