Beverly Harry of the grassroots group River Justice gave instructions to around 150 volunteers at the River Justice Community-Wide Clean-Up on Sunday, Feb. 23.
The volunteers met in the parking lot of the Second Street Walmart, then broke off into groups to pick up trash on three sections of the Truckee River, as well as a section of Wells Avenue, and an area near Roller Kingdom at Valley Road and Seventh Street. Beverly and her daughter, Autumn Harry, have been organizing the cleanups since 2021.
Beverly estimated later that the group picked up around 40 cubic yards of trash, including four five-gallon buckets of glass near John Champion Park. The disposal is funded by donations and the Truckee River Fund.
“Our goal with River Justice also is to work with the folks who are living along the river,” Beverly said. “We make sure that we’re in communication with the unhoused people. … There are pets who live along the river, too, that need resources and that need food.”
The volunteers carried plastic bags of dog food and cat food with them to distribute as they cleaned.
To learn about future River Justice cleanup events, follow Beverly and Autumn on Instagram. Their handles are @cornmush_girl and @numu_wanderer.