By Melissa Allen
EBC Florida Bureau
TAMPA, FL (Eagle News) — Over 4,000 volunteers hit the sandy shorelines and parks of Hillsborough County to help with the community’s annual beautification effort, The Great American Cleanup, which was hosted by the local organization, Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful, an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful.
Alan Donn, a Board Member for Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful, said that their primary mission is to educate people about the environment and how to protect it.
“People need to understand when you throw a candy wrapper or cigarette butt out the car what negative impact it has on all of us”, Donn said.
This community event, held in different sites across the nation and slated to be the country’s largest environmental cleanup day of the year, rounded up masses of volunteers of all ages and different walks of life to work together to pick up trash and help restore the land’s inherent beauty. Church members, corporations, families, and other organizations could be seen picking up plastic bags, bottles, wooden boards and even a truck tire.
“We’re here to give back to the community and help make sure we keep it clean not only for our residents but for all the wildlife that live here as well,” said Ann Shaler, volunteer and Bank of America Market Manager for Tampa Bay.
For many, the day was also an opportunity to get involved with their community and connect with people outside their social circles.
“It’s also a chance to bring lots of different people from around the community together,” Shaler said.
Shaler added that there was a noticeable presence of a very large church whose attendance and voluntary service stood out from the crowd.
Robert Tapales, Tampa resident and head deacon of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ) in Tampa, said that about 75% of their congregation showed up for the Great American Cleanup event.
“Being a part of this is an expression of the church’s desire to be a part of the community. It’s not about personal satisfaction, but it’s a sense of community that we have, not just with our fellow members of our congregation, but also with the people here in Tampa Bay,” Tapales said.
When asked the key to keeping Tampa Bay beautiful, Donn said that it is the volunteers who are the key and that their help is truly necessary in order to maintain its beauty.
Debbie Evenson, Executive Director for Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful echoed this sentiment.
“One person can make a difference,” Evenson said. “If every person picks up a piece of trash today, it makes an impact on our community.”
(Eagle News Service)