"Pick up and Walk" volunteers working hard to clean up Steinbach.
There was a “sea of yellow” at the 5th annual “Pick up and Walk” community clean up event this past Saturday in Steinbach, when over 1000 people in their bright yellow t-shirts picked up 5.47 tons of garbage from city streets, parks, side roads, open areas, ditches, boulevards, and even from culverts, equivalent to 3000 person/hours of labour.
The event was sponsored by 20 local Steinbach churches whose congregants showed up at the TG Smith arena to pick up their routes, maps, garbage bags and t-shirts. Most of the 1000+ volunteers then filtered out into the city and filled hundreds of bags of garbage and many larger items that they then placed by the road side waiting for pick up. Coming back to the TG Smith Arena in Steinbach for lunch (donated by a number of businesses in the community), people had many stories to tell about some of the interesting things they found on their journey including tires, car engines, computer parts, several chairs, and even a toaster! Besides those who picked up the garbage, volunteers also included truck drivers who hauled the filled bags and larger items to designated dumpsters, and those who prepared and served the food for the free barbecue lunch that took place after the event. “It was a wonderful opportunity to be good stewards of the earth and to do something tangible to care for creation”, said Ann Thompson Courchene, Chair of the Board of the Steinbach United Church.
Organizers of the event worked together with the city of Steinbach who provided detailed routes and maps for each church. “The employees of the city of Steinbach are impressed with our community. Our community spirit was very evident today and the reduced amount of garbage this year shows we are littering less”, said Eldon Wallman, the Solid Waste Dept Head for the City of Steinbach. “Having a 1000 people out to clean up the city was unbelievable. It really shows people care,” explained Russ Dyck, City of Steinbach Parks and Rec department head. “This event is not only about picking up litter, but it also helps foster a sense of community. A big thank you to the Steinbach churches for organizing another very successful Pick up ‘n Walk”.
