It was already past 9:30 a.m. last Saturday when Union City Mayor Brian Stack, dressed in khaki shorts and a button-down shirt rather than the jacket and tie he usually wears, joined more than 30 volunteers headed toward 45th Street and Bergenline Avenue.
Stack and his gang, most of whom were clad in white Union City First t-shirts with “Mayor Brian Stack” written in big letters across the back, had met outside the post office on 30th Street as part of the city’s Sweep Program.
“Anything that you can do will help, one way or another,” said Danny Castro, who has been living in Union City for 14 years, explaining why he had come out.
Each Saturday, about 60 volunteers meet to help Stack clean up the city by sweeping and picking up the litter on the city’s busiest avenues.
“We are trying to pick the areas that need it the most,” said Stack, while waiting for garbage bags, brooms and other supplies before the group could begin on June 30.
The first week of the program, which was the week of June 16, the group had swept the streets from Fifteenth to Fifth Streets and Bergenline Avenue.
In rain or shine
Although the rain that fell on June 23 didn’t keep people from wanting to help, the 95-degree weather and the first of the two Fourth of July weekends seemed to keep some of the volunteers in their air-conditioned homes last Saturday morning.
“We must’ve had at least 50 people here last week,” said Stack last Saturday, speaking about the rainy day the week before. “They all wanted to sweep, too, but because of the weather we were not able to.”
However, those who did wake up early for the event on June 30 were ready to work.
“Somebody has to clean the city,” said Matthew Peschetti, who has volunteered all three weekends so far. “The people who live in this town have to participate, too.”
“I live in this town,” said Denise Hidalgo, who brought her mother and two younger brothers with her on Saturday. “I want to make sure it looks presentable.”
Stack is hoping to get even more residents to volunteer as the program goes on throughout the summer.
“This just shows that if people come together we can make the city better,” said Stack.