On Saturday, June 13, 2020, the Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce in partnership with The Voices of Englewood hosted Community Clean Up Day! A total of nine vacant lots were cleaned and cleared in an effort to increase safety. We had over 100 volunteers from The McCormick Foundation, Aramark, City of Chicago and so many others from all across the Chicago land area.
Sponsors include: Chicago Public Schools, McCormick Foundation, Teamwork Englewood, and Aramark.
The McCormick Foundation graciously provided lunch boxes provided by Catering Out The Box.
Thank you to Archana Liggins, founder of BAG Lady Outreach, for the donation of masks and gloves!
Chicago's First Lady, Amy Eshleman joined us in to helping with the clean up efforts!
Why It Matters
It is important to keep vacant lots clear for a number of reasons:
1.Vacant lots tend to attract or bee subjected to illegal dumping of litter and other solid wastes.
2. Many vacant lots are often contaminated with hazardous wastes such as lead, cadmium, and asbestos.
3. Vacant lots are not just unsightly blights on the urban landscape, and breeding grounds for rats they are a wasted resource.
4. They disrupt a neighborhood's sense of community and lower property values.
