Innisfil residents were out early Saturday morning, picking up garbage and yard waste for the townwide Pitch In Day clean-up event.
Chair of the Pitch In Day Committee Coun. Kenneth Fowler was happy with this year's turnout, noting 80 clean-up kits had been picked up by residents.
"Because everyone has been bottled up, something as simple as beautifying the town or area you live in becomes important to you because you're outside the house and you're doing something positive and productive," he said.
Local volunteer group Clean Up Innisfil was out for their second weekend in a row, cleaning up the concrete gardens along Innisfil Beach Road from Lilac Drive to Inglewood Drive. Members who came out on Saturday included Carol Griffith, Kim Ferrier, Eddie Ferrier, Halina Graham, Ron Beaumont, Karra Bonenfant, and Leslie Pollak.
"It's great weather," said Pollak, who started the group just this past summer. It is a volunteer-based group of residents interested in helping to clean up the parks and roadways in town.
Bonenfant recently moved to Innisfil from Toronto and was happy to take part in the clean-up.
"I look for opportunities to better myself and to contribute to the town," she said.
Horticulture maintenance was removed from the Town of Innisfil's 2021/22 budget, to help achieve a 0 per cent blended tax increase for 2021 and a low 1 per cent blended tax increase for 2022.
The group was able to fill seven yard waste bags full of weeds and trimmed hedges.
"We did not find much garbage due to the fact that Mr. Jan Silk is out daily on his mobility scooter, picking up trash every day, he does not take a day off," noted Pollak. "His tenacity to keep Alcona clean, encourages us to keep up this work. He is truly a person that has inspired our group to do more and go above and beyond."
Coun. Fowler stopped by to visit the group and offered his words of encouragement and gratitude.
Several residents had walked by the gardens and thanked the group for being active in the community.
"We hope that this inspires others to join our group and help out in any way possible," said Pollak. "It only takes a few minutes to pick up a few pieces of litter each day, to help keep our town beautiful."
Monique and Jim Siozou, owners of Johnny Burger provided a complimentary lunch for the group of volunteers out on Innisfil Beach Road.
"The effort and work we did today were done on behalf of Ward Councillor Donna Orsatti, as she has been out there in previous years and was part of the Innisfil Community in Blooms group," said Pollak. "We wanted to show her, as well as everyone, that others are willing to take on the task and have pride for our community."
The Clean Up Innisfil group will be back out on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021, continuing to clean up along Innisfil Beach Road.
Anyone interested in helping can contact the group on their Facebook page here.
The awards affiliated with Pitch-In Day recognizing outstanding citizens in the community, the Debbie Mills Civic Pride Award and Troy Scott award, will be announced in the coming weeks.
