Volunteers asked to receive cleanup assignments at Caldwell Park between 8:30 and 10 a.m.

POCATELLO — Residents of Pocatello and Chubbuck are invited to take part in the Community-Wide Fall Cleanup slated for Oct. 3. Participants are asked to meet at Caldwell Park, located at the corner of South Seventh Avenue and East Lewis Street between 8:30 and 10 a.m. The first 100 participants will receive a free breakfast coupon courtesy of McDonald’s. Free gloves and trash bags will be distributed and cleanup assignments made at that time.

The annual cleanup is spearheaded by the Community Beautification Committee, which is a committee of the Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce. About a dozen members make up the Beautification Committee and represent a large cross-sector of the community. In addition to sponsoring the community-wide cleanup each year, the committee started the hanging flower basket program in Old Town Pocatello and facilitates beautification awards each month for businesses that upgrade or renovate the exterior of their properties.

Mark Dahlquist, who is one of a handful of organizers involved with the cleanup, indicates this is a great opportunity for all residents to come together to spend a couple of hours outdoors serving the community.

“Since there was no large-scale cleanup like there normally is in early May, the trash and debris have really accumulated along many of our roadways, so we all need to rally together to get this taken care of prior to the winter season,” Dahlquist said.

He also indicated that the normal event in the spring typically includes a pancake breakfast; however, the event ended up getting deferred to the fall because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Rather than serving a hot breakfast this time around, where everyone tends to gather at one time, participants can simply drop in to receive their assignments and supplies during an hour and a half long window then go on their own to a local McDonald’s drive-thru to get their breakfast to-go

Although cleanup areas will be assigned on Oct. 3, volunteers are welcome to clean up up other locations of their choice and reserve those areas in advance. Simply confirm your location before Oct. 3 by calling Deb Beckett at the Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce. Individuals and groups are all encouraged to take part.

The city of Pocatello Sanitation Department will provide free trash bags and normally pick up the bags and take them to the landfill once volunteers are finished. Sponsors of the community-wide cleanup include the Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce, McDonald’s, D.L. Evans Bank, NeighborWorks Pocatello and the city of Pocatello. For more information, contact the Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce at 208-233-1525.