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Date: 4/6/2023
WESTFIELD — Two volunteer cleanups have been scheduled for the month of April, just in time for the onset of spring, and hopefully no more snow.
Mayor Michael McCabe and Conservation Coordinator Anna Meassick recently announced the 10th annual Earth Day Cleanup for Saturday, April 22.
Volunteer check-in will begin at 8 a.m. at Mount Moriah Lodge, 72 Broad St., Westfield. Breakfast will be provided by Stop & Shop and Mount Moriah Lodge, while it lasts. Teams will then be assigned locations in the downtown area, including Route 20, South Broad Street, Union Street, Southampton Road and many more locations in need of cleaning up.
“We are very happy to resume the Earth Day celebration after a break last year, under the leadership of our conservation coordinator, Anna Meassick,” said McCabe. “We have a beautiful city that I am proud of, and I applaud the volunteers who share that pride by taking action to keeping it clean.”
“Westfield residents should be extremely proud to celebrate a decade of Earth Day Cleanups,” Meassick said. “It has been amazing to talk to past volunteers and to use their input for organizing this year’s event and our previous sponsors have been wonderful in getting us the supplies we need.”
In addition to the day’s volunteer efforts to pick up the downtown area, Hartsprings Foundation Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and raising funds for Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies in Western and Central Massachusetts, will have a truck staffed and ready to accept donations of clothing, textiles and lightly used goods between the hours of 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., also at Mount Moriah Lodge. This drop off location is open to all residents.
Woodward and Curran has provided the Conservation Department with reflective safety vests for volunteer use during the cleanup. Gloves, trash bags, and buckets will also be provided. Volunteers are invited to return the vests and enjoy lunch at Mount Moriah Lodge beginning at noon.
Volunteers are encouraged to register in advance at bit.ly/rp15bz or by calling 413-572-6281. Registration is not required, but very helpful for planning purposes.
The next weekend, the Westfield River Watershed Association will host its annual Spring Cleanup on April 29, based in two locations.
One group will meet at the Riverwalk parking lot on Meadow Street in Westfield at 9 a.m. Participants should contact Mark Damon to register at markjdamon@gmail.com. Teams that gather in Westfield will fan out to sites along the river in Westfield, Russell and Huntington.
Another group will meet at the same time at the Pynchon Point parking lot on River Road in Agawam. Participants at this site should contact Sheryl Becker at sher1earth69@gmail.com. They will clean up river sites in Agawam and West Springfield.
At both sites, the watershed association will distribute gloves and trash bags and offer safety tips. Assignments are generally completed about noon or 1 p.m. All are welcome to participate; children must be supervised by an adult. WRWA will arrange with local communities for pickup of trash and debris recovered at each site.