Angelina Beautiful/Clean hosts adopt-a-highway clean up

LUFKIN, Texas (KTRE) - The community came together with trash grabbers, gloves, and masks as Angelina Beautiful/Clean partnered with the Texas Department of Transportation to host their quarterly, two-mile, adopt-a-highway cleanup.

“We meet up quarterly, and our board comes out I come out, and we also have members from TxDOT come out,” said Emily Thornton, the executive director of Angelina Beautiful/Clean. “But we really wanted to include the community this time because we’re all distant right now, but I think this is a really easy way for the community to come together and do a really great thing, come out, volunteer, and pick up some trash.”

Those who attended made sure to follow the CDC’s guidelines for gatherings.

“In every kind of information blurb I sent out, I told everybody that we needed to wear masks at all times. Especially whenever we were going to be in groups together, like this,” Thornton said. “Whenever we’re out in the field, we’re probably going to take them off because it’s so hot and humid. But we’re going to maintain a six-foot distance, and everybody’s been made well aware of that. Hand sanitizer is readily available. Gloves are available.”

Thornton said they thought an investment in a cleanup activity was the most realistic event to have. It allowed for distancing while also staying true to their mission of taking responsibility for enhancing the community environment.

“These events are so important right now because we’re all so apart. We can’t meet together; we can’t all get together and have an event anymore,” Thornton said. “So having the ability for the community to come together and really do their part is a cool thing. It’s not common in the age of COVID at all, so it’s really cool.”

To find out how you can get involved in upcoming events you can visit the Angelina Beautiful/Clean Facebook page.

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