Apr 14, 2025

Volunteers invited to help clean up Salina for Spring Spruce-up 2025

Posted Apr 14, 2025 1:14 PM
Groups of volunteers use trash pickers and black garbage bags to pick up and remove bits of waste like plastic sacks, and according to Friends of the River Foundation Executive Director Jane Anderson, a large amount of fast food waste. These volunteers gathered along the Smoky Hill River for the 2024 Spring Spruce-Up community event on Saturday, April 27, in Salina. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier
Groups of volunteers use trash pickers and black garbage bags to pick up and remove bits of waste like plastic sacks, and according to Friends of the River Foundation Executive Director Jane Anderson, a large amount of fast food waste. These volunteers gathered along the Smoky Hill River for the 2024 Spring Spruce-Up community event on Saturday, April 27, in Salina. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier

By SALINA POST

The Friends of the River Foundation is calling on community members to lend a hand during Spring Spruce-up 2025, taking place Saturday, April 26 from 8 a.m. to noon across multiple locations in Salina.

The annual event brings together volunteers to help beautify parks, neighborhoods, and community spaces through landscaping, cleanup, painting, and general maintenance projects. Snacks will be provided, and necessary tools will be made available on-site.

Friends of the River Foundation Executive Director Jane Anderson carries a bundle of chopped-down Asian bush honeysuckle branches after Kansas Wesleyan University (KWU) students removed the invasive species from the Friends of the River Foundation trail on Saturday, April 27, in Salina. These volunteers gathered for the 2024 Spring Spruce-Up. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier
Friends of the River Foundation Executive Director Jane Anderson carries a bundle of chopped-down Asian bush honeysuckle branches after Kansas Wesleyan University (KWU) students removed the invasive species from the Friends of the River Foundation trail on Saturday, April 27, in Salina. These volunteers gathered for the 2024 Spring Spruce-Up. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier

Volunteers of all skill levels are encouraged to participate, but children under age 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Work will begin at 8 a.m. at the following locations:

  1. Ashby House (143 S. 8th Street): Landscaping, cleaning, sorting donations, painting, and sheet rocking.
  2. CHDO (Corner of Cherokee & Choctaw): Yardwork, painting, shingling a shed, and garage repairs.
  3. Friends of the River (Kenwood Cove/YMCA Parking Lot): Removing invasive plants and river trash along the Smoky Hill River.
  4. North Salina Community Development (N. 9th & W. Hamilton): Landscaping and painting at "5 Corners" and the Mounted Patrol & Rescue Squad.
  5. Salina Downtown (Strand Plaza): Planter maintenance, trash removal, alley cleanup, and storage organization.
  6. Salina Food Bank (255 S. Chicago St.): Landscaping, hydroponic tower care, pantry cleaning, and prep of summer school kits.
  7. Salina Parks & Rec (Hawthorne Park & Sunset Park): Mulching around playground areas.
  8. Salina Rescue Mission (1716 Summers Rd.): Grounds cleanup, garden prep, flower bed maintenance, and sidewalk power washing.
  9. The Temple (336 S. Santa Fe Ave.): Painting, decluttering, and organizing storage spaces.
  10. City of Salina (4292 S. Burma Rd.): Free Landfill Day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more information, contact Jane Anderson at [email protected]

Spring Spruce-up 2025 is supported by a coalition of local organizations including First Covenant Church, Salina Waste Systems, the Earl Bane Foundation, City of Salina, and Kansas Wesleyan University.

local