Volunteers took to the streets of Homewood on Saturday, April 29, to assist the Homewood public works crew in neutralizing litterbugs around the community.
Director of public works John Schaefer mentioned this was the first year they brought back community clean up day after taking a break from it.
“We stopped for a few years, because we used to have it earlier in the year and weather would not really cooperate with us. After that Covid happened so it was difficult to get much participation,” Schaefer said.
Schaefer credited social media with being a key contributor to promoting the event to the community to get more people involved with the clean up. Despite some cancellations, over 40 volunteers signed up for the clean up day.
“This event helps make people aware of the amount of litter that accumulates in the community and how much effort it truly takes to keep our community looking good,” Schaefer said.
Volunteers put on their safety vests as public works crew members passed out buckets, sticks, and trash cans to pick up the litter along four primary routes: Park Avenue, Riegel Road, Governors Highway, and Dixie Highway. These roads often see a heavy dose of littering which is why they were chosen.
Landscape supervisor Bryon Doerr feels the clean up event is an effective way for people to realize how tough it can be keeping a community up to standards.
“I think it’s a good way for people to get a glimpse at what our daily jobs are making sure the community is clean. This isn’t like a job sitting around in an office you know so it’s great to have volunteers that will also see what we see everyday,” Doerr said.
First time event manager Marla Youngblood touched on the safety of the community clean up, especially for the children who also volunteered to help out their community.
“The group that has children will mostly pick up along the downtown area where there is low traffic, low speed, just to ensure their utmost safety,” Youngblood said. “The adult groups help clear out the other locations that have heavier traffic.”
The volunteers expressed their enthusiasm at the opportunity to help tidy up their community. After working from 8:30 a.m. until noon, everyone met back at the Public Works building for a light lunch of hot dogs, chips and soda.