Originally a containment
area for the homeless and the unwanted, it is now growing with more
people including families, children and the elderly. With more and
more people making Skid Row their permanent residence, there is a
drastic need to turn this area into a real community instead of a
transitional zone for the undesirables. Answering this call, many grassroots organizations have sprung up to
organize, unify and revitalize their own community. These actual Skid
Row residents have been making sustained and heroic efforts for years
with little help from the local established non-profits and the
government. Skidrow Cleanup started from a few Christian volunteers who worked
alongside these local groups in Operation Facelift Skid Row, a joint
project to cleanup the overwhelming amount of garbage in the area to provide a clean, sanitary and livable environment for the residents. Since February 2012, our joint weekly sweeping events have been empowering the residents to take care of themselves. We have given out countless brooms, dustpans and trash bags to those who eagerly asked and are still asking every week. This spirit is contagious. They have the heart and will, all they need is equipment. Many times a street is already cleaned by the residents before we get there. Beside the sanitary benefits, we believe a clean living environment
restores that innate sense of order and goodness that has been lost by
many due to their unfortunate circumstances in Skid Row. This loss is
one of the causes of abuses and neglects including one's health and
living condition. Much like how Mayor Rudy Giuliani turned around New
York City with its Anti-Graffiti Task Force in 1995, once this sense
of order is restored, people's sense of well being improves because
trust has been restored. We believe the act of cleaning is one of the purest, most fundamental
expressions of love we can give to those in this environment. Unlike
simply giving out materials as commonly witnessed here, one has to
humble oneself and labor through the process. Much like the act of
feet washing by Jesus, it requires great humility, strength and
courage, definitely not for the faint of heart. It communicates the
message: "I'm sacrificing my body to serve you" better than anything
one can hand them. In August 2012, we saw that the cleaning need demanded a dedicated entity focusing all of its efforts on this great task. Skidrow Cleanup was formed with one and only mission: to cleanup Skid Row. We believe this singleness of purpose gives us the clarity, strength and integrity to deal with any challenge that lies ahead. This renewed focus has enabled us to more than triple our productivity from the days of the joint operation. Still, this couldn't have been possible without our former partners showing us the ropes along the way. As much progress as we have made, there is still much work to be done. Our number one priority is sustaining this event every week. Beside managing
the logistics of supplies and equipment, we really need to expand the pool of available sweepers. The larger the pool the less workload on the individual volunteers and the better it is for morale and longevity. Please lend us a hand in this very important endeavor. Only two hours
on any of your free Saturdays would help us tremendously. Skidrow Cleanup
