Message below prepared by Susan Hunziker:

The snowbanks of winter have finally melted, releasing their cache of trash and cigarette butts to our streets and sidewalks.

The Porter Square Neighbors Association, the Ward 7 & 10 Democratic Committees, the Agassiz Neighborhood Council, Neighborhood Nine, the Mass. Ave. Neighborhood Improvement Committee, and the Association of Cambridge Neighborhoods invite you to join your friends and neighbors for a few hours of public service to remove this debris from Porter Square and along Mass. Ave.

Those who have participated in previous clean-up days report that one of the nicest parts of the whole thing–in addition to getting to know a neighbor a little better–is the steady expression of thanks from passersby. They are amazed by and grateful for this effort.

When
Saturday, April 12, from 9 am to 12 noon
Rain date: Sunday, April 13, from 1 pm to 4 pm

Where
Meet up with us at one of two(!) locations: The park next to the Porter Square T stop OR Simon’s Coffee Shop.

What should I bring?
We will supply the trash bags. We will also have some gloves and brooms (courtesy of Tags Hardware), but probably not enough for everyone. Please BYO if you have them. Also, experience suggests that snow shovels (especially kid-sized) make terrific dust pans when sweeping the sidewalk, so if you have one, bring it with you.

Another useful item is a small plastic shopping bag or two. If you are picking cigarette butts out of the crevices, you’ll have a place to gather your contributions to the pile that is easier to manage than one of the larger, industrial strength trash bags that we’ll supply. But, be sure to put your bag of butts inside one of those other bags. If you have bags left over, you can recycle them in the bin at the entrance to Star Market.

What if my joints creek?
If your knees or back cannot handle bending or squatting to pluck the trash, bring a broom or borrow one from us. And, don’t forget the snow shovel. We will make an effort to match people whose joints and equipment are complementary.

If you can kneel, sit, or squat, you might want to wear knee pads or bring a rubber mat or cushion. It takes a long time to remove the cigarette butts from the tree wells and the gutter grates.

Where do I put the full trash bags? 
Place them next to any city-owned trash barrel on the sidewalk. Some of the barrels near the Porter Square T station belong to the MBTA, so if you work in that area, we will show you which barrels to use.

What do I do with the broom and gloves you loaned me?
Some of the gloves will be thin rubber, so just put them in your last trash bag. Please return any cotton gloves and brooms to the local coordinator, who may come around toward the end to start collecting them.

Can I keep any extra trash bags?
We’d like to get them back. We’ll need to clean up after winter again next spring.

What happens at noon?
Join us at Christopher’s or at Cambridge Common for some nibbles and beer. You’ll have to buy the beer, though. If you want lunch, you’ll have to buy that, too.

How do I sign up for this soul-stirring and deeply appreciated neighborly event?
Well, you can just turn up, but it would be really helpful to know how many of you plan to answer the call and whether you have gloves or brooms or shovels so that we have enough supplies. So, if you plan to join us, let us know, ideally by Monday, April 7:

For Porter Square, contact Susan Hunziker: shunziker@comcast.net

For Mass Ave, contact any of these folks:
Ruth Ryals: rryals@comcast.net
Emily Anderson:  abodeon@mac.com
Phoebe Sinclair:  psinclair@agassiz.org

We look forward to seeing you and to a clean street.