On August 1, 2010, the World Mission Society Church of God volunteers joined the Hackensack Riverkeeper Program in an effort to combat urban environmental pollution. Its river cleanup program dedicates itself to the cleanliness of the Hackensack River by regularly scheduling public cleanups to abate the build up of litter in waterways and tributaries due to constant pollution and storm runoffs.
About 100 yellow-vested volunteers showed up on the banks of the Hackensack River, on the north side Fort Lee Road at the intersection of DeGraw Avenue. Hackensack Riverkeeper provided all the necessary equipment and Church of God members brought their passion and fervor to serve the community in order to make the event a success. Some volunteers used pickup sticks to uncover common objects, like glass and plastic bottles, while some relied on cumulative strength to haul out extra-large tires and even pieces of rusted household appliances embedded in the overgrown brush. Others donned hip waders, taking to the river to grab debris lodged in areas unreachable from the shore and uncovering objects buried in the riverbed. Throwing the refuse in large black plastic bags, teams in canoes paddled up and down gathering all that the teams accumulated.
World Mission Society Church of God members reflected on their participation in this event, taking moments to consider why exactly they joined in this effort to clean the Hackensack River. Members shared similar thoughts: realizing the joy from volunteering came from the feeling of wanting to make a difference as opposed to be forced to do something and understanding the importance of unity in accomplishing great feats. They took time to think about the environment rather than focusing life’s trivialities. As a result of their efforts, the team collected enough trash to fill a small dump truck–a number of participants even managed to catapult a large tree limb into the truck’s dumping bed! Lisa Ryan, Operations Director and Volunteer Coordinator of the Hackensack Riverkeeper, said, “I was amazed today… it was just amazing, incredibly efficient and the teamwork was really really impressive. We got some spots cleaned up that we never thought we [would] get cleaned up here.”
Click to view the Hackensack River Environmental Cleanup Gallery.
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