Assunpink Creek Cleanup, Reviewed

On March 9, Trenton Cities of Service and Trenton Mentoring Coalition kicked off our 2013 Second Saturdays of Service initiative with a park cleanup fittingly in the center of the city, at Mill Hill Park. The Assunpink Creek Cleanup's purpose was to clean the creek bed of debris that was the result of flooding and other litter around the park.
When planning the day, I was operating under the mentoring coalition's recommendation that the event follow through rain-or-shine. However, this plan began to be called into question by me, my co-workers, and some concerned volunteers when Mercer County was clobbered by a last minute snow storm the day before that refused to turn into rain, which is what the forecasts had said. Nonetheless, I had faith that most of the snow would melt by the next day which was supposed to be warm and sunny in comparision.
Morning rolled around and much of the snow remained (photo above) which did hamper some of our efforts to clean the park. That being said, our volunteers made short work of this project because of our sheer numbers. Over sixty volunteers showed up to do a useful service for Mill Hill Park and the broader city. Representatives from Old Mill Hill Society and our local Watershed Ambassador, Jade Greene, gave us some explanation of the historical and environmental significance of that section of the Assunpink Creek. It was amazing to think of the different eras that that section of the city had seen. From being the actual battle line which defined where the Continental Army and British soldiers fought over during the Revolutionary War to being the source of energy for a mill that used to sit on the property (parts of which are still visible), the creek had seen more than we could ever know of Trenton's history as a city.
The day was a promising start to something new. The fact that so many volunteers came out was encouraging to me and gave us the motivation to imagine the possibilities for future projects around the city.

Our next service project will be another litter cleanup, along the D&R Canal trail in Trenton's West Ward. We will be meeting at 9:00 am in the parking lot of Lighthouse Outreach Ministries, at the corner of Bellevue and Hermitage Avenues. We hope to see you there!