It turns out, when given an opportunity, many Astorians are willing to step up and volunteer. By taking action, one neighbor found many others who also take pride in creating a cleaner and safer community. We have been fortunate that many in the community have donated supplies to support our cleanup efforts. Now, in order to continue our work, we need funding to ensure we have the proper equipment. 

It started with one neighbor asking others to join and clean up litter and trash on local streets in the middle of a pandemic. She called her project “Proud Astorian” with the idea to promote a connection with the neighborhood and share examples of why Astoria is so beloved. When 5 people showed up in June to the first impromptu cleanup organized less than a day before, the movement began. Over the past 6 months, Proud Astorian has held over 40 group cleanups in the neighborhood with over 400 participants. Over 250 different individuals have come to a cleanup with Proud Astorian this year. From small group of people during the height of summer, our founding volunteers emerged. Many of them now help lead weekly cleanups at other locations in Astoria, including Broadway, 36th Avenue and Ditmars Blvd. Proud Astorian has also helped in efforts to clean local Parks, including joining with Astoria Park Alliance after Hurricane Isaiah to remove fallen tree branches. Within a month, we organized another park cleanup and tackled 4 waterfront parks, drawing over 50 participants. As Covid-19 rates increased, we worked with our local City Council and State Senator's offices to distribute masks and information about free Covid-19 testing sites. Cleanup groups have now handed out over 1000 masks and other supplies like hand sanitizer since the beginning of November.