By Eraina Hooyer
Staff Reporter
The downtown core of Ponoka will get a little summer cleaning on Aug. 23. A group of volunteers will be making their way into the downtown to pick up the trash from the curb sides and around buildings.
Rob McArthur, pastor of Word of Life church and organizer of the litter pick up, believes that picking up garbage around town builds the community as well as the individual.
“There are two reasons why we are doing this,” said McArthur. “To build servanthood, a leadership quality, in the participants and to meet a continual need of the community.”
This is the second year that the group will be cleaning up the loose trash downtown. Last year there were approximately 20 people that came to help out and, with their work combined, more than 50 garbage bags of litter were collected.
McArthur feels that doing this service for the town is a positive act and shows others that people care about the community as well as giving a sense of pride to being a part of Ponoka.
“When you clean your car, your house or even take care of yourself, it speaks volumes of what you think of whatever it is you are caring for,” he said. “When you clean your community, you take ownership of your community.”
Everyone is invited to come out and help tidy up the downtown and McArthur says there are many benefits to taking part in the cleanup.
“It’s everyone’s home,” he said. “Plus the town gets clean, it builds character and you get to hang out with me.”
The area the group will cover includes the Hamilton’s IGA area to 53rd Ave to 50th Street to Diamond Willow Middle School and Ponoka Elementary School.
The group is meeting at the Ponoka Jubilee Library at 10 a.m. and will be working in the town until 1 p.m.