Proud Astorian Volunteer Cleanup

It turns out, when given an opportunity, many Astorians are willing to step up and volunteer. By taking action, one neighbor found many others who also take pride in creating a cleaner and safer community. We have been fortunate that many in the community have donated supplies to support our cleanup efforts. Now, in order to continue our work, we need funding to ensure we have the proper equipment. 

It started with one neighbor asking others to join and clean up litter and trash on local streets in the middle of a pandemic. She called her project “Proud Astorian” with the idea to promote a connection with the neighborhood and share examples of why Astoria is so beloved. When 5 people showed up in June to the first impromptu cleanup organized less than a day before, the movement began. Over the past 6 months, Proud Astorian has held over 40 group cleanups in the neighborhood with over 400 participants. Over 250 different individuals have come to a cleanup with Proud Astorian this year. From small group of people during the height of summer, our founding volunteers emerged. Many of them now help lead weekly cleanups at other locations in Astoria, including Broadway, 36th Avenue and Ditmars Blvd. Proud Astorian has also helped in efforts to clean local Parks, including joining with Astoria Park Alliance after Hurricane Isaiah to remove fallen tree branches. Within a month, we organized another park cleanup and tackled 4 waterfront parks, drawing over 50 participants. As Covid-19 rates increased, we worked with our local City Council and State Senator's offices to distribute masks and information about free Covid-19 testing sites. Cleanup groups have now handed out over 1000 masks and other supplies like hand sanitizer since the beginning of November.

Your donations will enable us to:

• Ensure our volunteers have the proper equipment to continue our cleanup efforts in the coming winternmonths
• Keep our volunteers safe with proper PPE
• Expand our Covid-19 outreach and ensure all Astorians have access to the PPE they need to survive
• Build our platforms and technology to manage additional volunteers and cleanup groups in the future
• Highlight and support examples in the local community that help instill pride and promote a connection with our neighborhood

As a result of the pandemic, there has been a shift in human behavior, particularly in urban areas like NYC. People are spending increased time in public spaces like parks, sidewalks and streets. They are taking more food items to go and using more single-use containers, creating additional waste for the litter baskets on street corners. In the midst of this, the budget for the Department of Sanitation was cut by over $100 million, resulting in a 39% decrease in litter basket pick-up service and complete elimination of pick-ups of organics like yard waste and compost.

Our litter cleanups are a way of empowering the community to create the environment they want to live in, advocate for the services they need to maintain that, and support the parts of our community that need additional resources. Proud Astorian volunteers have been recognized by the press, local elected leaders, other community groups and local businesses. Volunteers tirelessly call attention to sanitation needs, report violations to the city and advocate for improvements to sanitation needs around the commercial corridors throughout Central Astoria.