PRESS RELEASE 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, April 11, 2012 

CONTACT: Gloria Chan (415) 554-6926, Gloria.chan@sfdpw.org

PUBLIC WORKS TO SUPPORT THOUSANDS OF VOLUNTEERS FOR NATIONAL VOLUNTEER MONTH 

DPW to host and provide supplies for seven volunteer events in April to beautify 

San Francisco in honor of Earth Day

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – In honor of National Volunteer Month and Earth Day, the Department of Public Works (DPW) is partnering with local and international businesses, community groups and thousands of volunteers in a month of service to clean, beautify and enhance neighborhoods and commercial areas throughout San Francisco.DPW is encouraging residents to participate in the upcoming events:

9am, Saturday, April 21—Community Clean Team in District Six 

10am, Saturday, April 21—Volunteers will be in the Oceanview neighborhood to pick up litter and trash along San Jose Ave from Sagamore to Lakeview 

9am, Thursday, April 26—Novartis Community Partnership Day, volunteers will landscape the median and clean and graffiti removal along Mansell Street and San Bruno. 

8am, Saturday, April 28— Global Day of Service with Starbucks, volunteers will beautify and restore neighborhoods across the City by painting over graffiti, landscaping, picking up litter, and many other cleaning activities

A highlight of ‘National Volunteer Month’ will be the Starbucks Coffee Company’s second annual ‘Global Day of Service’ on Saturday, April 28, 2012. Starbucks will be collaborating with DPW to support projects in eleven neighborhoods across the city that include restoration and beautification in some of San Francisco's most iconic areas and gathering spaces. Last year, Starbucks employees, customers and community participants came together at Ocean Beach to participate in service projects, attracting over 1,200 supporters, and was noted as the "largest one-day volunteer" event ever in DPW's history. Organizers anticipate attracting over 1,500 volunteers this year.

DPW’s signature volunteer event, Community Clean Team, will also celebrate Earth Day on Saturday, April 21. Volunteers will be meeting at the U.N. Plaza to clean and green areas throughout District Six including the Tenderloin, SOMA and along the Market Street corridor. The citywide volunteer program partners city agencies with residents, merchants and students to clean and beautify San Francisco neighborhoods.

DPW also supported volunteer events in Japantown on April 6, the 16th Annual Workathon at Portsmouth Square on April 7 and will be supporting the Jewish Youth Center on Sunday, April 22 by providing materials and supplies to assist with their cleaning and greening activities. For more information on these volunteer events and how to participate and/or learn how to organize an event in your community, please visit sfdpw.org.

DPW is responsible for the care and maintenance of San Francisco’s streets and much of its infrastructure. The department cleans and resurfaces streets; plants and maintains City street trees; designs, constructs and maintains city-owned facilities; inspects streets and sidewalks; constructs curb ramps; removes graffiti from public property; and partners with the diverse neighborhoods in San Francisco to provide stellar cleaning and greening services. For more information, please visit www.sfdpw.org or call 311.

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