Katie Brandt
On Saturday October 22nd, Stockton’s Habitat for Humanity Club hosted a street clean-up on 10th Ave in Dorothy, New Jersey. This was a one-time-only event that was open only to members of Habitat for Humanity. The event was slightly difficult to get to. There was no communal transportation system. Everyone was on their own to find a ride or carpool to take them to the clean-up location. Attendees were also not informed as to which end of the street they were to meet, so that was a semi-confusing situation. Other than the difficulty of getting to the location, the experience was wonderful. For me, this was the first time I had met any other members of Habitat for Humanity. I found this event a great way to meet new people. Everyone was so kind and happy to be helping the environment. At first it was a bit concerning because it was raining, however, just in time to start cleaning, the rain stopped. Attendees were supplied with gloves and trash pickers. The members were split into two groups: one started at one end of the street and the other group started at the opposite end. Any piece of litter that was found was picked up a taken care of. Everything plastic, aluminum or glass was put in a bag. Then, any other type of garbage found was put in a separate bag to distinguish between recyclables and trash. We all walked together and talked about are life goals and interests. The whole situation was moving. It was amazing seeing a group of young college students bonding while helping the environment and the world around them. This was not a mandatory event. Each person that came decided to voluntarily come and provide community service.