Westchester Parks Foundation to Host Earth Day Event

Westchester Parks Foundation is getting ready for its largest volunteer event of the year with its annual Pitch in for Parks community cleanup program.  The weeklong event will kick off on Monday, April 17, culminating on Earth Day, Saturday, April 22 with over 1000 volunteers bringing the national spotlight on environmental causes.  The annual event, held in partnership with the Westchester County Parks Department, will take place throughout Westchester in celebration of Earth Week.   

Seth Mandelbaum, Chairperson, Westchester Parks Foundation stated, “Pitch in for Parks started back in 1994 and it has grown each year in the number of volunteers who demonstrate their desire to be stewards of the environment by acting locally.  This year the culmination will be held on Earth Day itself, so we expect a record-breaking number of volunteers to come out and get our Westchester County parks ready for Spring.” 

Last year, 731 volunteers clocked 2,512 hours at 16 parks throughout Westchester for clean-up efforts.  They planted 78 trees, removed 4,395 pounds of trash and painted 2,272 sq ft of fences, trail markers, and other surfaces in the parks.    

Since the Saturday event occurs on Earth Day this year, WPF is expecting record breaking number of volunteers doing their part to clean up the parks.  To help accommodate park stewards, additional projects have been added for volunteers, working as individuals, families, corporations, local businesses, or groups, for trash clean up, clearing trails and shorelines, restoring wildlife habitats, removing invasive vines from trees, painting, raking, and preparing and planting flower beds.  Earth Day events will be held at Glen Island Park, New Rochelle; Tibbetts Brook Park, Yonkers; Bronx River Reservation at Westchester County Center, White Plains; and Blue Mountain Reservation in Peekskill.   

Pre-registration is required to participate. All tools will be provided, and volunteers should wear clothes that can get dirty and closed toe shoes. For more information on how to volunteer for Pitch in for Parks, visit https://www.thewpf.org/events and scroll down to the park in your neighborhood to sign up.  

Photo Courtesy of Westchester Parks Foundation.