Trash Extravaganza - 01/16/26

On a very windy but sunny Friday (1/16), nine participants with lived experience and four staff showed up in a big way for a major cleanup off Minuteman Way. After receiving a report several weeks ago from the Happy Valley Community Service Officer David Coan and Deputy Clark, we first arrived with our outreach team to connect folks to resources before it was time for clarity and cleanup.

This event was postponed twice due to flooding from atmospheric rivers, but we weren’t deterred. Our team worked through mud and muck to give this small wooded area a much-needed makeover. While one final, smaller cleanup will be needed to address debris still submerged, the majority of the problem has been resolved.

We’re grateful for the collaboration that made this possible! Huge thank you to Deputy Clark of Clackamas County Sheriff's Office and David Coan, to our neighbors at International Wood Products Distribution, to Waste Management (WM) for going above and beyond with the drop box, to Jennifer Kauppi for her patience, and, as always, to Kate for coordinating all the moving parts.

We are so incredibly proud of this team and the impact they continue to make.