The Big Community Volunteer Effort
by Lee Hunt
Have you noticed that our neighbourhood is a bit cleaner these days? That might be partly because on Sunday, October 6, Brentview Baptist Church held “Serve the City Day”.
Julie Peters, Director of Volunteer Development at Brentview, told me that after the church service that day, “some 160 members of all ages spread out in Brentwood and Charleswood to pick up garbage… while another 50 stayed at the church to do projects”.
The main goals of the day were to:
1. Pick up garbage
2. Help anyone they came across who might be in need
3. Distribute treat bags to students at U of C
4. Prepare “car bags”
5. Pray for peace over the neighbourhood
Volunteers in the first category worked to clean up litter at nearby schools Senator Patrick Burns, Brentwood Elementary, Dr. E.W. Coffin, and Captain John Palliser. Others collected litter from nearby commercial areas. In total, they collected 30 large green bags of garbage. Whenever they encountered used needles, they kept track of the locations and forwarded those to the proper authorities.
Julie told me that another group, “scrubbed the bus shelter in front of the church parking lot which definitely needed it”.
A third group worked inside the church to prepare “car bags”. They made 400 such bags which contain, “snacks, toiletries, winter gloves, and toques”. Congregation members will each take a few bags to be given out to those in need.
Still others who had remained at the church served coffee to people who stopped by Brentview’s outdoor Food Pantry.
In all, it was an exceedingly thoughtful and caring day.
Might some of our Bugle readers consider taking on similar projects in the spring or summer of 2025? What group(s) do you belong to – a church, a team, a school, a club of some sort? Might everyone go out for an hour or two to collect litter? Or perhaps wash down the bus shelter nearby? Or…??? Your endeavour would build camaraderie plus help keep Brentwood clean.
As this article will be published in the December issue, I want to wish all our Bugle readers a joyful holiday season plus a healthy 2025!
Photos by Julie Peters
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