BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Hundreds of people spread out across Bloomfield on April 24 armed with rakes and garbage bags to participate in the townwide cleanup, picking up trash and other debris in every park in town, plus a few other locations. The 500 volunteers in 70 different places included Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops, Bloomfield College students, Kiwanis of Bloomfield and Glen Ridge, UNICO, the Neighbor to Neighbor Network, the Bloomfield High School Key Club, the Bloomfield Middle School Builders Club, and the BMS Student Council.
“What makes Bloomfield such a special place to live is our incredible neighbors, and their willingness to come out for a day of giving back to our community speaks to that,” Mayor Michael Venezia said in a press release on April 26 after the event. “I would like to thank our terrific volunteers, in addition to the Bloomfield DPW, Beautification Committee and Division of Public Safety for helping us to make this day possible.”
Councilwoman Jenny Mundell, who is the liaison to the Beautification Committee, said a lot of cleaning was done in a short amount of time.
“Events such as our townwide cleanups are fantastic opportunities to both beautify and unify our community as we come together to help keep our neighborhoods clean,” she said. “I am grateful that so many residents came out for this event, and I am pleased that we were able to accomplish so much in one morning.”
Photos by Amanda Valentovic and Courtesy of Grant Ludmer