Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful holds first waterway cleanup of 2024

By BRITTANY FHOLER

Cove Leader-Press 

More than 50 volunteers turned out to pick up 620 pounds of trash Saturday morning as part of the Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful waterway cleanup to kick off the Great American Cleanup series for 2024. 

Saturday’s waterway cleanup marked the first cleanup for the Great American Cleanup series, which starts March 1 through the end of May. Participating in the series is part of the groups requirements by Keep America Beautiful and Keep Texas Beautiful, according to Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful Executive Director Roxanne Flores. This cleanup served as KCCB’s second cleanup for the year so far, with the MLK Day of Service cleanup in January. 

Saturday’s cleanup focused on the wooded area behind Shipley Donuts, which backs up to a small creek and the railroad tracks. Volunteers concentrated their efforts on staying on one particular side of the railroad tracks. 

“We’re excited anytime people show up, regardless of if we have 10 volunteers show up or 100,” Flores said. “We’re just excited because those 10 or 100 are still all making a difference in our community by picking up trash.”

Christine Eastteam attended Saturday’s clean up with her six-year-old daughter, Jordyn. 

“I try to bring my kids out so they understand that keeping the community clean is good for everybody,” Eastteam said. 

Jordyn said her favorite part about picking up trash was getting to keep everything clean and pretty. The donuts from Shipley’s Donuts were a bonus, her mom added. 

“She enjoys it. She’s come to almost all of [the cleanups] with me,” Eastteam said. 

Eastteam said she grew up in a small town in California that had a lot of trash and litter that prevented kids from being able to go play. 

“Knowing that there’s a community to keep it clean for and safe for our kids, because you don’t know who lives over here and is playing down here, it’s just better for the environment, better for the people that are in the community,” Eastteam said. 

Saturday marked the first KCCB cleanup for Jose Garcia and his eight-year-old daughter Mailyn. 

Garcia said he had seen an events post about the cleanup on Facebook earlier Saturday morning. 

“I’m very active with my little girl, and I thought this was something that she would like to do,” Garcia said. 

He added that he saw a picture of his daughter’s piano teacher, who happened to be another volunteer, on Facebook and took that as a sign to volunteer too. 

“I think it’s important for her to kind of understand, and I’ll explain to her later what the purpose of cleaning especially this ravine here- where it could end up in the ocean- so I think it’s important to just to help beautify your community as well,” Garcia said. 

Volunteers spread out to pick up trash, finding anything from paper to plastic bags and cans and glass as well as bigger items like a tent, wooden dining room chairs and a sheet, plus a shopping cart. 

“We have to do a waterway, and we did this one a couple of years ago,” Flores said. “I chose this area because we always like to partner with our local small businesses, and so it has obviously ample parking, but after speaking with the owner, he was excited to get volunteers here; and we were able to make a difference here in this waterway.”

Flores added that it ended up being a perfect location due to being centrally located as well. 

“They were just as excited to have us here as we were to be here,” Flores said about Shipley’s Donuts. 

Flores said that there are more volunteer options for Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful that don’t involve coming out early on a Saturday morning and being outside. 

“We actually have now offices at [914 S. Main Street] Suite B, so come on down,” Flores said. “You can come and volunteer. The events occur on one day but the prep happens days before, so we’re always looking for volunteers to come stuff bags, to fold T shirts.”