Keep McAllen Beautiful holds its annual Great American Clean-Up and Don’t Mess with Texas Trash-Off April 9 from 8 a.m. to noon. The event starts at McAllen Municipal Park at 1921 N. Bicentennial Boulevard.

Volunteers come from all walks of life such as students, business leaders, civic and non-profit organizations, individuals and families. Others come from community and religious groups, sororities, fraternities, sports teams and the military.  Volunteers who participate will receive safety vests, gloves and trash bags. They will then receive an assignment of an area to pick up litter.

“We are asking the public to volunteer and join in this beatification effort,” stated Chris Lash, Keep McAllen Beautiful Program coordinator. “In addition, we are requesting that drivers be extra cautious and on the look-out for volunteers who will be busy cleaning our streets throughout the entire city on that day.”

This year, organizers are encouraging volunteers to transport themselves to assigned areas. Once completing their cleanup, volunteers return to the park for a free t-shirt, hot dogs, soda and various raffle prizes.

Volunteers may sign up online or by calling 956-681-4562.

About the Great American Clean-Up and Don’t Mess with Texas Trash-Off

The Great American Clean-Up and Don’t Mess with Texas Trash-Off is also an opportunity for anyone desiring community service hours.

The Don’t mess with Texas Trash-Off is the single largest one-day cleanup event in the state. It serves as Texas’s signature event for the Great American Cleanup, the nation’s largest community improvement program implemented by Keep America Beautiful. The Don’t Mess with Texas Trash-Off is part of Texas Department of Transportation’s litter prevention program. The program also includes Don’t Mess with Texas, Adopt-a-Highway and a grassroots partnership with Keep Texas Beautiful.