Keep America Beautiful and Lowe’s awarded a total of $30,000 in grants to Keep Blair Beautiful and Keep Philadelphia Beautiful as part of the national 2018 Keep America Beautiful/Lowe’s Community Partners Grant Program.

The 2018 Keep America Beautiful/Lowe’s Community Partners Grant Program engages local volunteers, working alongside Lowe’s Heroes volunteers, to take action on projects that focus on critical, local needs. Pennsylvania funded projects are:

Keep Blair Beautiful - $20,000

The closure of the county recycling department and recycling drop-off system has left many residents without access to convenient recycling options.

Keep Blair Beautiful will establish a drop-off program that addresses the need of convenient access and helps to relieve the funding difficulties by creating a revenue stream.

Residents will have the opportunity to purchase a key card/pass allowing them unlimited access to the recycling drop-off.  The monies raised with the purchase of the key cards will help cover the operating costs related to the drop-off, therefore making it more sustainable.

This key card system will increase the access residents have to recycling and can be used as a model for other locations.

Keep Blair Beautiful can be contacted through John Frederick at 814-942-7472 or send email to: jfrederick@ircenvironment.org.

Keep Philadelphia Beautiful – $10,000

Keep Philadelphia Beautiful and the Philadelphia Parks Alliance will use this funding to establish cleanup tool libraries at five strategic recreation centers in Philadelphia.

The goal is to build capacity for residents, civic organizations and recreation center staff to keep their neighborhoods litter free while reimagining these community hubs as sites for collective civic action.

“We are grateful for Keep America Beautiful and Lowe’s for providing Pennsylvania affiliates this opportunity to improve our local communities,” said Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. “These grants provide an opportunity for the community to engage in activities that improve the quality of life for everyone.”

Keep Philadelphia Beautiful can be contacted by calling 617-259-7401.

In addition to the initiatives of Keep Blair Beautiful and Keep Philadelphia Beautiful, Lowe’s is supporting more than 40 other Keep America Beautiful grant-funded community service projects in 2018 as well as Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup.

Since the partnership began in 2011, Lowe’s has contributed nearly $8 million; with more than 2,100 Lowe’s Heroes volunteers helping Keep America Beautiful improve local communities.

“These targeted grant projects will provide significant benefits in many areas of the country, both urban and rural, that often are neglected,” said Keep America Beautiful President and CEO Helen Lowman. “Our network of affiliates has been particularly creative in using these grassroots grants to develop and deliver programs that embrace their community members, while transforming often neglected public spaces into beautiful places.”

“At Lowe’s, we want to help people love where they live in the communities where our employees and customers live and work,” said Julie Yenichek, Lowe’s director of community relations. “Our commitment to community investment doesn’t stop at charitable giving. We’re proud of our Lowe’s Heroes volunteer involvement and the difference they have made nationwide. Loving where you live extends beyond walls and fences, and we applaud Keep America Beautiful’s vision.”

For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful website. Click Here to become a member.  Click Here to sign up for regular updates from KPB, Like them on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, Discover them on Pinterest and visit their YouTube Channel.

Also visit the Illegal Dump Free PA website for more ideas on how to clean up communities and keep them clean and KPB’s Electronics Waste website.

(Photo: Example of a recycling drop-off by the Cambria County Solid Waste Authority.)

NewsClips:

Pittsburgh Volunteers Found 29 TVs,  Fridge During Garbage Olympics

Schuylkill River Dumpsite Cleanup In Philadelphia

1,000s And 1,000s Of Tires Are Being Dumped Along Philadelphia’s Rivers

Cumberland County Ready To Collect Your Old Tires Sept. 29

Pittsburgh Has An Anti-Litter Specialist Opening

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[Posted: Sept. 27, 2018]

10/1/2018