Residents use holiday to spruce up local park

Armed with grabbers and buckets, City of Temple Solid Waste employees joined with members of the community Monday to clean James Wilson Park during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.

“It took a little over two hours to clean up several 5-gallon buckets full of litter and trash that was all over the sports fields, walkways and fence lines,” City of Temple Recycling Manager Heather Caldwell said.

This is the second year the city has held the event, which is intended to empower individuals to get involved in their community.

“This is my first year participating in this event and I am proud to be a part of the MLK Day of Service,” Caldwell said. “My hope is that not only by cleaning up the park, but also coming together as a community, we make a small difference.”

Recycling Maintenance Worker Michael Cooperwood was grateful for the opportunity to serve alongside his fellow residents.

“With all of the things going on in the country, I wanted to be a part of something good,” Cooperwood said. “I live in Temple and am proud of my community, so I was happy to help clean up the park.”

The Day of Service isn’t the only way residents can get involved in their neighborhoods. The City routinely hosts neighborhood development events such as Team Up to Clean Up and Operation Dumpster Drop. To learn more about these programs, click here: http://bit.ly/3qBbuuq.