On Saturday morning, I met up with a group of 20+ people at GB&D for donuts and (much needed) coffee before we got started on some tasks to clean up the Village of West Greenville. Most people were associated with the area in some way – they lived or worked in the community and wanted to help, even though they didn’t know exactly what they were getting into. Projects + number of people needed were announced and hands shot up immediately – it was like a teacher’s dream come true.
Some of the projects for the day were: mulching, picking up litter, + painting a building.
I worked with three other people and a city worker (who followed us in his truck full of trash bags and other larger items to throw away) for three hours to pick up over 20 bags of litter from the neighborhoods on either side of Perry Ave. It was crazy to see what people throw on the ground: entire bags of bagels or bread, plates and to-go boxes of food, + sooooo many beer bottles.
It truly was a community event. After the work was done, we all met up for food + beer at Growler Haus. The owners of The Anchorage and Coastal Crust brought pizza, salad, and cookies for everyone to enjoy and get to know each other (and watch some football – Clemson was playing at noon after all).
The holidays put everyone in such a good mood but it can also be a very busy time – shopping, schedules, + stress. Remember to also use your time and abilities to help make our community better.
As always, this list is not complete without some help from you guys. Please share any other volunteer opportunities for us to add to our growing list. Plus, check out Kidding Around Greenville’s list of where to volunteer with kids this holiday season.
When I was younger, I would bundle up in a warm coat + scarf to stand outside and ring the Salvation Army kettle bell with my Papa during December. He told me stories about how important it is to take care of other people + the impact that a heavy kettle full of coins can have on the life of some families.
Like Helen Keller said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
