Anacostia nonprofit, Horton’s Kids, hosts annual Kids Cleanup Day

WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — Saturday, dozens of volunteers and community members in DC’s Anacostia neighborhood dedicated a few hours of their day to service. Horton’s Kids, a nonprofit that serves the youth of DC’s Anacostia neighborhood, held its annual ‘Kids Cleanup Day’. Volunteers of all ages helped with gardening, picking up trash and stocking shelves with free food and essential groceries for community members.

“There’s so much we can do as an organization, but there’s more that we can do when we all come together and do it,” said Horton’s Kids Senior Director of Community & Family Programs, Meghan McCamis. “It recognizes our community, and it says, hey, we’re all in this together and we have a part that we can play. Horton’s Kids as an organization, we’re here to support our families and help them achieve the goals that they are setting for themselves.”

Horton’s Kids serves over 600 children in Southeast, DC and also offers youth programs that focus on academics and youth development as well as social and emotional learning.

The nonprofit also puts on days of volunteering, like this one.

“We’re just out here beautifying our spaces, our streets, our community and really bringing everyone together from our volunteers to our community and families to do some great work,” said McCamis.

Horton’s Kids has been around 36 years, and this cleanup day has been happening since 2011.

Volunteer, Ivy Scott, brought her three young children with her to serve.

“This is something I want them to do annually, give back,” said Scott. “It is super rewarding to see them enthused about it. It’s rewarding to feel like I’m doing something for the community. It feels amazing.”

“It was to see all the kids coming out and have them come out on the street and cleaning up too and just have a place where everybody in the Horton’s Kids community can come together,” said volunteer Maggie Nelson.

If you would like to help Horton’s Kids stock its shelves, click here.