Volunteers needed! Annual downtown spring cleanup day set for April 18

Jacob Beal of Rochester lends a hand during a recent cleanup in the downtown. (Courtesy photo)

ROCHESTER - Rochester Main Street recently announced its annual Cleanup Day is scheduled for April 18 when a community-wide effort focuses on cleaning up the downtown and other neighborhoods, parks, and public spaces throughout the city following a long winter.

Volunteers are asked to bring their own rakes, gloves, and wheelbarrows if possible. The day will begin with check-in and a light breakfast in Central Square at 8:30 followed by the cleanup from 9 a.m.-noon when a volunteer lunch will be provided in Central Square.

According to Rochester Main Street Executive Director Jeff Bisson, since Rochester Cares began, volunteers and business owners have noticed something encouraging: "Each year, there's less and less litter to pick up."

"That's what happens when people take pride in their community--others follow, and it shows," said Bisson. "This year, we're expanding, with additional areas on the outskirts of our district included in cleanup efforts, helping spread that same level of care across a wider part of the city."

Bisson says that small efforts add up, adding, "a few hours of work can make a space more welcoming, more usable, and something the community can take pride in."