SAN ANTONIO – Volunteers from around San Antonio came out on Saturday morning to two different sites to help clean up over three tons of trash out of the water.
Charles Blank, executive director for River Aid San Antonio, a nonprofit dedicated to keeping rivers and lakes pollution-free, said the volunteer turnout during a holiday weekend was inspiring.
“The two sites that we chose today specifically do not get the attention they deserve,” Blank said. “Elmendorf Lake and Indian Creek, they’re underserved communities in so many ways.”
Around 75 people spent the morning digging through riverbanks and lakes to grab trash left in the waters, hoping to stop it from flowing downstream.
“We found some shoes, we found beer cans, soda cans, a lot of Styrofoam and a lot of plastic bags,” said volunteer Rachel Lipsey. “It’s really sad to see it in this condition but I mean, we’re here to do what we can.”
It’s a task the nonprofit takes on multiple times a month at different waterways around town, and something volunteers routinely get behind.
“Honestly, it’s really satisfying to just keep the city clean,” said volunteer Jennifer Flint. “So I find a lot of satisfaction in just helping leave things better than the way I found them.”
People of all ages can get in on the cleaning action. Gabby Lipsey and Savannah Rocha said the timing close to Easter helped them warm up for egg hunts in the future.
"It’s like a treasure hunt, see what you can find," they said. “My mom does it a lot so we kind of just like join with her because, I mean, it’s our Earth.”
To join River Aid SA on their next cleanup project, visit their website here.
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