The Bayfront East Side Taskforce (BEST) has officially launched its Same Day Work and Pay litter cleanup initiative, thanks to a $15,000 Coastal Zone Management grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Only seven projects statewide were selected for this round of funding.

BEST is hiring approximately 10 workers per cleanup, partnering with local service organizations such as the Erie City Mission to connect individuals with immediate, same-day employment. Participants help remove trash from sidewalks, streets, greenspaces, and city parks in Erie’s Historic East Bayfront neighborhood, and are paid $100 in cash at the end of the day.

The program kicked off Tuesday, July 15, with BEST providing personal protective equipment, lunch, and pay to the team of workers. By midday, volunteers had already collected 54 pounds of trash, just from half of the neighborhood.

Matching funds from an Erie Community Foundation Helping Today grant helped bring the program to life. It’s modeled after a successful initiative in Philadelphia and aims to eventually employ 100 unique individuals.

The project serves dual purposes: giving people in need immediate access to income and beautifying a neighborhood that plays a critical role in protecting both the Garrison Run watershed and Lake Erie, which provides drinking water to 11 million people.

“This was one of the first projects our former executive director Jeremy Bloeser and I began planning when I started in 2022,” said Dr. Farrell, BEST’s Executive Director. “This program benefits people on every level, workers earn immediate pay, the neighborhood becomes safer and cleaner, and Lake Erie is better protected from urban runoff. It’s a win-win all around.”

BEST is also working closely with Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful and Keep Erie County Beautiful in advance of International Coastal Cleanup Day this September.

This project aligns with the goals of the DEP’s Coastal Resources Management Program, which supports projects that protect coastal ecosystems, reduce pollution, and provide environmental education. Funded through a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the program awards grants to initiatives located within Pennsylvania’s two coastal zones: the Delaware Estuary and Lake Erie.

For more information on Coastal Zone grants, visit the DEP’s website.