When we started the "My People Clean Up" program about a year ago, we set out to provide some of the most resilient people in our community, the homeless, the opportunity to receive a stipend of $20 per day to clean up some of our parks, community areas and neighborhoods.  Our results have been incredible both in achieving cleaner public areas and instilling a sense of pride amongst our cleaners.  To date, we've provided over $75,000 in stipends, provided solely by donations.  We have no overhead, all donations go directly to the cleaners.  We are currently cleaning 5 parks (Linear, Branden, Binn's area, Culliton and Reservoir)  along with the area around the Food Hub, three blocks of South Water Street and South Queen street--all at a cost of only $1200 per week.  

We can do more.  My People want to work.  With that in mind, we've established Hand Up Partners.  Your donation will allow us to help more people and keep more areas of our beautiful city clean.  Please consider helping.

The Lancaster County Food Hub provides food, clothing, shelter and many social services to our unhoused and low-income residents of our community. After seeing the positive human transitions in our cleaners and the results of their work being enjoyed by so many, they offered to partner with this project by sponsoring two areas to be cleaned by by our people”.

   “SoWe” a residential led community organization in South West Lancaster, has enjoyed these successes and have now partnered with us to contribute the daily “hand Ups” to the cleaner of Culliton and Brandon Park and to host and pay for group clean-ups by their outside residents in various neighborhoods throughout their area. They have proven that we can all live as one community by embracing the homeless residents, getting to know them and offering help and out reach services as needed.

The Lancaster Moravian Church led by Pastor Mandy Mastros does a lot of outreach work with the homeless community with the philosophy of self empowerment and community inclusiveness and have partnered with us to sponsor the cleaning of the Binn’s Park area.

   My hopes for this project is to provide many more of my homeless friends these opportunities to be productive in contributing to beautifying our community while using this as a stepping stone in gathering the strength to stand on their own. Please consider sponsoring a park, a community area or a neighborhood to be cleaned. Let’s talk! email me here.

Thanks, and so much love –