The Bayfront East Side Taskforce (BEST) has officially launched its Same Day Work and Pay litter cleanup initiative, thanks to a $15,000 Coastal Zone Management grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Only seven projects statewide were selected for this round of funding.
BEST is hiring approximately 10 workers per cleanup, partnering with local service organizations such as the Erie City Mission to connect individuals with immediate, same-day employment. Participants help remove trash from sidewalks, streets, greenspaces, and city parks in Erie’s Historic East Bayfront neighborhood, and are paid $100 in cash at the end of the day.
The program kicked off Tuesday, July 15, with BEST providing personal protective equipment, lunch, and pay to the team of workers. By midday, volunteers had already collected 54 pounds of trash, just from half of the neighborhood…