Later this month, volunteers will gather for the 21st annual Lahaina Town Cleanup. They will pick up rubbish along seven square miles of highway and Lahaina coastline in what organizers call the longest-running annual cleanup in the state.
The youth-focused event features food, music and free T-shirts for volunteers. School groups, community members and visitors of all ages are welcome to participate.
Organizer Tambara Garrick of the LahainaTown Action Committee said volunteers gathered more than one ton of debris during the cleanup at last year's event.
“Especially after the fire, one of the goals is community connections. It's getting people out, seeing friends, doing something outdoors,” Garrick said. “And then, of course, it's really about education. I have heard so many students say that the satisfaction they got of seeing that immediate impact when they look down the road or the beach prior to all the volunteers coming out, and then after, and they could see the difference that they were able to make in just a couple of hours.”
The cleanup is on Sept. 27 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., with registration at Lahaina Cannery.
The event is hosted by the LahainaTown Action Committee, in partnership with nonprofits Mālama Maui Nui and Ocean Conservancy. It is part of International Coastal Cleanup Month, during which hundreds of thousands of volunteers worldwide take action to protect the ocean.
“To me, that's the most exciting thing is see all the kids come out and really understand what it means to take care of the ‘āina and to help divert rubbish before it gets into the ocean,” Garrick said.
For more information about the Lahaina Town Cleanup, click here.
