KentHOPE, volunteers help clean up downtown streets
Published 5:52 pm Wednesday, March 20, 2013
About 50 Kent residents, KentHOPE members and 13 homeless individuals came to help beautify the downtown streets by picking up litter and garbage on a breezy and misty morning last Saturday.
Barbara Smith, executive director of the Kent Downtown Partnership (KDP), identified the areas for cleanup.
Participants enjoyed coffee donated by Mychal Boiser of Kona Kai Coffee, along with fruit and donuts provided by Sue Froyd of Maggie’s.
For three hours, volunteers wearing bright yellow T-shirts with the KentHOPE logo and slogan, “dedicated to reducing homelessness in our community” printed on the back, picked up litter.
A total of 85 bags of garbage were collected and picked up by the city.
The cleanup day came about in response to concerns voiced by the Kent Chamber of Commerce and the KDP about the litter in downtown Kent.
KentHOPE and its partner, Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission, continue to collaborate with the chamber and KDP to find interim solutions to identified problems while working toward its goal of establishing a day center/shelter in Kent.
