Jordan River cleanup attracts nearly 400 volunteers for Earth Day
The banks of the Jordan River were littered with My Hometown volunteers clearing brush and trash. Photo by Katie McEntire.
On Saturday, April 20, volunteers gathered to trim reeds, collect trash, and mend picnic pavilions in honor of Earth day. Neon orange and yellow colors stood out along the banks of the Jordan River from the Northwest Community Center to Cottonwood Park. However, instead of snack wrappers and chip bags, the bright colors belonged to hundreds of volunteers collecting trash and clearing brush. School-aged children and retirees piled large branches along the trail for the city to collect, while a team in canoes and kayaks skimmed the water for plastic.
“It’s gone really well,” said Judy Babcock of Millcreek, one of nearly 400 volunteers from the My Hometown initiative, which spans from Millcreek to Farmington and includes a group operating on Salt Lake City’s Westside.
“It’s been much faster than we anticipated because so many people came to help,” she said. Babcock heard about My Hometown through word of mouth and had been helping since 8 a.m. that morning with various jobs.
The cleanup was a collaboration with Salt Lake City, with volunteers providing labor and the city supplying dumpsters, food, and tools. The city also set up sharps disposals for hazardous items like discarded needles found along the riverbanks.
About My Hometown
The My Hometown initiative was started by Mark Durham of West Valley. It sources volunteers from across the region to “help individuals and families improve their residential living conditions and maintain access to available services and community information” across three areas of Salt Lake City.
My Hometown splits its volunteer efforts among Central City, Northwest, and Westside to offer more specialized services. It also offers free ongoing classes at the Westside Resource Center on various topics, from art and piano to sewing, job training, and English. Upcoming projects include the Unity Baptist Church cleanup and celebration in May.
If you’d like to get in contact with My Hometown, call 801-742-1486 or send an email to myhometownslc@gmail.com.