by Sylene Argent
Many Essex residents gave up a portion of their Saturday morning to help spruce up the Town of Essex by picking up litter and debris that has collected after a lengthy winter.
The Town of Essex hosted the annual Spring Cleanup event, which asked residents to pitch in and help clean up greenways, sidewalks, parks, and downtown areas.
Director of Community Services for the town of Essex, Doug Sweet, was pleased with the event turnout, noting many residents gathered at one of the four designated meeting areas. One meeting area was established in each ward within the municipality.
In Essex Centre, residents met at the Essex Railway Station. After they broke up into groups, volunteers spread out to cover a lot of ground.
Volunteers spanned in age, including high school and elementary school students who were happy to put in a few hours worth of work to not only help cleanup their town, but also earn a few community service hours as well.
One of the enthusiastic young volunteers, Andrew Dinney, is a grade three student at Holy Name Catholic Elementary School. While he was equipped with a garbage bag and a pair of gloves to aid in his cleanup efforts with his family, Dinney was vocal about his love for the environment.
“I never want to litter, not once,” Dinney said enthusiastically, adding his passion for the environment runs so deeply he would love to start an eco-team at his school any student could join.
As a ‘thank you’ to all the residents who volunteered to help, a free lunch was hosted in each area of the cleanup. In Ward 1, the Essex Centre BIA purchased lunch for the cleanup participants. Before digging in, Councillor Steve Bjorkman thanked everyone for their help and assured their efforts did not go unnoticed.