St. Mary’s South Side Trash Bash Cleanup at the Mississippi River Front

As part of an annual community initiative, St. Mary’s South Side faculty and their families volunteered to remove 450 pounds of hazardous and general waste from the riverfront Sr. Marie Charles Park, helping to protect the Mississippi River watershed and restore the space for all residents.

This past weekend, in the second week of April, St. Mary’s South Side faculty and future faculty, along with their family members, gave their time to clean up a neighborhood park and our shared watershed.  Sr. Marie Charles Park, a potentially scenic riverfront space named after Sr. Marie Charles Buford, CSJ, has become something of an unofficially adopted space for St. Mary’s South Side.  This urban park, which sits directly on the Mississippi, is used by many of our unhoused neighbors. It also has a presence of intravenous drug users.  Working for several hours, St. Mary’s South Side team removed 450 pounds of trash, including old tires, shopping carts, hundreds of pounds of plastic, and used needles, keeping this material out of our shared drinking water.  These efforts help create a safer, more beautiful, and more peaceful space that all people deserve.

This effort was part of an annual Trash Bash organized and hosted by Open Space St. Louis, Greenway Network, Earth's Classroom, and the Missouri Stream Team Program.

Update sent by Curt Sidorski,

Ministry Lead, Marianist Encounters,

Social Studies & Media Teacher,

St. Mary's South Side Catholic High School

St. Louis, MO