FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 22, 2016

Contact:
Rachel Gordon, 415-554-6045

Community Clean Team Roars Back in 2016 with Inaugural Event on Saturday
Volunteers to Beautify City Streets, Parks and Plazas in District Six Neighborhoods

SAN FRANCISCO, CA –  More than 200 volunteers are expected to join San Francisco Public Works at the kickoff of the 16th season of Community Clean Team on Saturday. On tap are greening and cleaning projects in the Tenderloin, the South of Market, Civic Center and surrounding District 6 neighborhoods.

Date: Saturday, January 23, 2016
Time: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. (speaking program starts at 9 a.m.)
Location: Boeddeker Park, 295 Eddy St. at Jones Street

Community Clean Team, Public Works’ largest and longest-running volunteer program, has blossomed with the support of residents, nonprofits, businesses and schools. The monthly volunteer events are a joyful and rewarding experience for participants who plant trees, landscape medians, remove graffiti, pick up litter and freshen street furniture to make our neighborhoods shine. The workday ends with a shared meal.

Saturday’s event marks the first of 11 Community Clean team events this season. Each month, the program focuses on a different supervisorial district.

“Community Clean Team is about more than the actual work we do – it’s also about teamwork, collaboration and building stronger communities,” said Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru. “We take tremendous pride in working with our community partners to make our neighborhoods even better. The workdays are productive and fun for people of all ages.”

Last year, Community Clean Team's 3,193 volunteers planted 980 plants and 105 trees, groomed 480 tree basins, removed 61,000 square feet of graffiti, collected 1,146 bags of litter and swept 408 blocks. Since the program began in 2000, volunteers collectively have given more than 165,000 hours of their time.

Information about upcoming events can be found at sfdpw.org/community-clean-team.

Community Clean Team photo opportunities on Jan. 23:

• Beautify Boeddeker Park, Sgt. John Macaulay Park and Turk-Hyde Mini-Park 
• Install dog waste stations at UN Plaza
• Weed and mulch near freeway ramp at Seventh and Bryant streets
• Remove graffiti at the SoMa West skate park, Duboce Avenue near Stevenson Street
• Spruce up street furniture on Ellis and Eddy streets, from Taylor to Polk streets
• Pick up litter around Seventh and Townsend streets

Sponsors and volunteer and partner organizations involved in the first event of the year include: 76, Starbucks, Walgreens, Emerald Fund, Recology, The Hilton, Academy of Art University, PG&E, Luxor Cabs, SF Clean City Coalition, Local 261, SF United School District, SF Housing Authority, Juvenile Probation Program, Project 20 Pretrial Diversion Program, Clever Software, Boys Hope and Girls Hope of San Francisco, Friends of Boeddeker, SF Recreation and Park Department, Tenderloin Police Station, Chinese Newcomers Service Center, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Mission Neighborhood Centers, San Francisco Parks Alliance, United Playaz, Community Youth Center, Tzu-Chi and Geo Care.