Eager to give a hand to the community, members of the Church of God in Charlotte put on their gear and went into the fields next to Scott Futrell Dr to give two garbage-ridden areas a much needed cleaning. The members of the Church filled up dozens of bags with trash. They also collected abandoned mattresses, broken tables, old televisions, tires, bottles and other items from two fields in Charlotte, NC.

About 50 members assembled at the World Mission Society Church of God on Sunday, April 23 before carpooling to the site. Although it was a rainy day and rather chilly, the volunteers were ecstatic. Their sparkling eyes seemed to light up the overcast sky. After quickly gathering the tools needed, the members made their way to the cleanup site.

The cleanup site, which is next to Scott Futrell Dr, is one of the first areas people see when their flights land at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Knowing this, the members planned to brighten up the area as much as possible. After arriving to the cleanup site, the volunteers split up into groups and began to work with great enthusiasm.

Church volunteers collecting trash from one of the fields next to Scott Futrell Dr.

A few minutes later, members could be seen retrieving all kinds of junk and litter from the fields, stacking them up in a large pile. Lawrence Keech, the Operations Manager from the hotel adjacent to the fields walked out with a smile on his face. In no time, Lawrence himself joined in on the action.

“We have been trying to get these fields cleaned for a long time,” Lawrence said. “We tried to do it ourselves, however it was just too much for us to do. I can never express my gratitude in a sufficient enough way to match the efforts you put in. God bless you all. I hope I may get to work with you on your future projects.”

As the volunteers were clearing the fields, motorists traveling on Scott Futrell Dr honked their horns and waved happily at the members. They were overjoyed to see community members beautifying the area, which hadn’t been cleaned in years. The volunteers continued to work until the fields were so clean that it looked like a new development. After revitalizing the fields to their former beauty, the members loaded a ten yard waste dumpster with all of the garbage they had collected. One may expect such a large dumpster to take a long time to become full. However, with all the trash collected, it reached capacity very quickly.

Finally, the volunteers finished the beautification of the two fields and dusted themselves off, calling it a day. Upon completion, Charlotte city officials were very happy with the result. City Council member LaWana Mayfield wrote, “Thank you all for working so quickly to address this concern and to help keep our city clean.” The volunteers gave thanks for being able to do such uplifting work for their community.

Volunteer carrying bags of trash during the Scott Futrell Dr Cleanup in Charlotte.

Volunteer carrying debris during Scott Futrell Dr Cleanup in Charlotte.

Church volunteers remove abandoned mattress from the field next to Scott Futrell Dr.

Church of God in Charlotte members loading a dumpster with trash collected during the Scott Futrell Dr Cleanup.

Volunteers wave as they joyfully make their way to help out during the Scott Futrell Dr Cleanup in Charlotte.

Church of God volunteers alongside the trash they collected during the Scott Futrell Dr Cleanup.

Church member happily picking up trash next to Scott Futrell Dr.

Church volunteer picking up trash during Scott Futrell Dr Cleanup.

Volunteer reaches over the fence to pick up trash from the field next to Scott Futrell Dr.