By Casey Adams
Cove Leader-Press
Residents are invited to grab a pair of gloves, enjoy a pancake breakfast and help give Copperas Cove a cleaner start before the school year begins, at the second annual End of Summer Trash Bash.
Hosted by Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful, the volunteer cleanup will take place from 8 to 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 25 at Copperas Cove City Hall, 914 S. Main St.
There will be free pancakes and sausage, along with all cleanup supplies, including gloves, safety vests, grabbers and trash bags.
KCCB Executive Director Anna Rodriguez said the event is open to volunteers of all ages, with no advance registration required.
“We have itty-bitties to older volunteers,” Rodriguez said. “It takes an army to do this.”
Unlike the organization’s larger spring and fall cleanup events, this year’s Trash Bash gives volunteers the freedom to choose where they want to serve.
Participants will gather at City Hall for breakfast and a group photo before heading out to clean an area of their choice, whether that’s a neighborhood, City Park, downtown or another location around Copperas Cove.
“We’re telling the volunteers to meet us at City Hall, enjoy pancakes and fellowship, then you can go anywhere you want,” Rodriguez said. “If you see a certain area that needs more cleanup and that’s what you want to tackle that day, you have two hours to do it.”
The event was created last year to bridge the gap between Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful’s annual spring and fall cleanups.
“It felt like it was too long of a gap,” Rodriguez said. “Let’s do one before the kiddos get to school, so it’s kind of inspired like an end-of-summer Trash Bash. Let’s get all the trash cleaned up before everybody gets busy again for the school year.”
While the breakfast offers an added incentive, Rodriguez said the focus remains on encouraging residents to take pride in their community.
“It takes an army,” she said. “Whether it’s deliberately done by littering or just litter falling out of somebody’s garbage can, we do need help cleaning up the city.”
She also encouraged residents to participate in the organization’s ongoing “#10onTuesday”
Cleanup events can produce significant results. Rodriguez said one of the organization’s largest cleanups collected about 1,200 pounds of trash, while a typical event removes between 500 and 800 pounds.
Participants do not have to stay for the full two hours. Those who collect large amounts of trash that cannot be returned to City Hall can notify KCCB, and the city’s Street Department will collect it afterward.
Rodriguez hopes the event will introduce new volunteers to Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful while fostering a stronger sense of community.
“Community service means everything,” she said. “You really do enjoy yourself, and you have a sense of pride. You just feel the love for your community when you’re involved. If you feel like there’s something that needs to be changed, we invite you.”
Residents are encouraged to wear closed-toe shoes suitable for walking through grass and uneven terrain. Cleanup supplies and breakfast will be provided.
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