(Brentwood, NY) In a recent community effort dubbed “The Clean Streets Project” over 300 volunteers, of all ages, pitched in to toss out the trash and beautify their hometowns. Residents picked up and removed more than five tons of garbage from the streets and empty lots, 60 locations in total, of Brentwood, Central Islip and North Bay Shore. The program, now in its third year, helps bring the community together, restores dignity to the hamlets and serves as a positive deterrent to crime.
Residents Get Ready for Massive Cleanup Effort – On the first Saturday in May, 300 volunteers were treated to a flapjack breakfast to kick start the “Clean Streets Project.” Afterwards, residents gathered en masse outside the Brentwood Applebee’s ready to board buses that would take them to 60 sites in Brentwood, Central Islip and North Bay Shore for the cleanup. At the end of the day, over five tons of trash had been removed from the streets and empty lots. Returning volunteers enjoyed a well-deserved barbeque courtesy of Applebee’s.
“The Clean Streets Project demonstrates what a united community, a local business, a community organization and residents can do when they join forces,” says Marcos Maldonado, project co-chair. “We were so pleased to have the support of Applebee’s and our other sponsors who once again went above and beyond what a community could hope for in supporting our neighborhood efforts.”
“For the last several years, our residents have risen to the occasion and have shown what they can accomplish when they come together as a community,” says Mike Ramos, co-organizer of the Clean Streets Project. “With businesses like Applebee’s lending their support, it makes you feel like someone has your back and you’re not working alone.”
This year, National Waste Services donated carting containers for the collected trash while Suffolk Transportation Service provided busses to transport volunteers to each site. Applebee’s provided both a meeting place for the volunteers and helped kick off the day with a free flapjack breakfast that attracted volunteers. In the afternoon, Applebee’s fired up grills in its parking lot and greeted the returning volunteers with a giant outdoor barbeque.
According to Maldonado, the spring cleanup will continue to be an annual community event.
