Volunteers in Tampa pick up trash and yard waste in honor of MLK's National Day of Service
TAMPA, Fla. - Hundreds of adults and children picked up 810 lbs of trash and 1,680 lbs of yard waste around Tampa's McKay Bay Nature Park on Saturday morning in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Day of Service.
"McKay Bay Nature Park is a park that has a great need. It is located in an area that doesn't get much attention," said Kristy Verdi, Executive Director of Learn & Serve Tampa.
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The volunteer event was hosted by Learn & Serve Tampa along with Tampa Parks & Rec's Green Team, The Florida Aquarium, Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful, and more. The goal was to beautify the 50-plus acre park and empower the youth to serve their community.
"Martin Luther King's message about greatness and how anyone can be great because everyone can serve, it doesn't matter how rich or poor or smart or not so smart, you have the power to change your life and lives around you," explained Verdi.
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"There was quite a bit of litter especially back where I was kind of in the swampy area, it all comes from downriver basically in the stormwater," said Madeleine Krebs Co-lead of Tampa's Green Team, "Anything that doesn't get blocked off by the Watergoat, kind of gets through and gets into the woods back there so there was all sorts of Styrofoam cups, plastic bags, stuff like that."
Volunteers split into teams based on age groups.
"We sent out middle school team down the bike path to clean the path and then our adult population, we sent some of them to cut the overhanging brush to allow the park to be more clear and open," Verdi said.
Organizers said enough yard debris was collected to fill ¾ of a city waste truck in addition to dozens of trash bags with litter.
"Typically, we would take a whole week potentially of Green Team working to collect this much," said Jessica Serre, Projects & Services Coordinator of Tampa Parks & Rec.