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People living in Regina’s North Central neighbourhood got some help Saturday getting rid of the things that can be hardest to move.
The North Central Community Association and SaskEnergy teamed up for a community spring cleanup, collecting bulky items such as mattresses, furniture, scrap metal, tires, appliances and yard debris.
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“This is changing the narrative about North Central,” said Pat Faulconbridge, executive director of the North Central Community Association.
“North Central always gets such a bad media coverage when something isn’t good in the community, then the media talks about it, but this is a positive thing. It shows to the rest of Regina how beautiful this neighbourhood is.”
The cleanup was based at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Angus Street on Cowessess First Nation urban land.
Faulconbridge said the event was about helping neighbours who may not have access to a truck, trailer or the physical ability to haul large items to the landfill themselves.
“We’re cleaning up the North Central community. We’re helping neighbours in the community get rid of some of their bigger stuff, like mattresses and discarded furniture, maybe tree branches, that many people don’t have access to a truck or the ability to take these things to the landfill,” Faulconbridge said.
She said the cleanup has been running for years, possibly for at least two decades.
“The community knows that we provide this service,” she said. “They start messaging us in April to find out when our spring cleanup is going to be.”
Volunteers focused on an area stretching from Albert Street to Elphinstone Street, and from the railway tracks near the 1600 block up to the 600 block of the neighbourhood.
Faulconbridge said North Central is one of Regina’s largest inner-city neighbourhoods, which means the entire area cannot be cleaned in one day. Different areas are targeted during different cleanup events.
“We can’t do the whole community in one day,” she said.
The cleanup was expected to fill four to six large Loraas bins, along with trailers full of metal and tires.
Misty Bird, SaskEnergy organizer for the event, said 15 SaskEnergy employees, along with family and friends, came out to help. Faulconbridge said the number of volunteers was expected to grow through the day.
Bird said the event has become something volunteers look forward to.
“They enjoy giving back, and it feels great when we’re done, too, to know that we’ve helped those who need and they’re always willing to get their hands dirty for those who could use some assistance,” Bird said.
She said people often come outside while volunteers were working to say thanks.
“While we’re out there, there’ll be some of the homeowners who will come out and they’ll thank us and let us know that they weren’t able to get it out of their property,” Bird said.
Faulconbridge said the cleanup is especially meaningful for seniors and people moving into rental homes where items may have been left behind.
“We have a lot of seniors in our community, and they are very grateful,” she said. “Not only do they come out when we’re picking up some of the items, but they phone and leave messages later, or they’ll leave a message on our Facebook page thanking us.”
Faulconbridge said the event would not be possible without SaskEnergy’s support.
“We couldn’t do this without them,” she said. “They’re the manpower and also the vehicles with the trailers.”
Bird said her favourite part of the day is seeing people willing to help.
“As we’re driving down the alleys, people are popping out to say thank you,” she said. “You can see that they’re very appreciative.”
Faulconbridge said that spirit is what the cleanup is all about.
“This is a community where people help each other,” she said. “This is a really positive day for us.”
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