These Northeastern students are cleaning up the neighborhood
Every Sunday, Northeastern’s Clean Up Crew picks up trash in the Fenway and Mission Hill neighborhoods.
Cigarette butts. Metal cans. Plastic water bottles.
Those were a few of the items Northeastern students picked up this weekend as part of a weekly clean up to beautify Boston’s Fenway and Mission Hill neighborhoods.
“This has been more fun than I thought it would be,” said Suleman Sheikh, a third year computer science and business administration major, just moments after placing a discarded lighter he found along Hemenway St. into his trash bag.
Although he was spending a gloomy Sunday afternoon collecting garbage, he said he was glad to be doing a small part to improve the neighborhood.
“Helping others helps your soul,” said Sheikh, who was adorned in blue and white gloves as he scoured the street for garbage to stuff into his fast-filling black trash bag.
Organized by Northeastern University’s Off-Campus and Engagement Support, the clean up event is designed to be an opportunity for students to make a difference in the communities where many Northeastern students reside.
More than 2,000 students live in Fenway and Mission Hill, which composes the largest population of off-campus students, according to Mallory Pernaa, director of Off Campus Engagement & Support.
On this recent Sunday, students picked up everything from discarded gatorade bottles to plastic bags. Although there was some light rain, they didn’t let that sour their mood. Instead, they spent time chatting and laughing.
The office has hosted the weekly clean up since 2010, although it recently changed the name from the Breakfast Club — a reference to the popular 1985 film — to simply the Clean Up Crew.
The group meets every Sunday at 12 p.m. outside of Stenston West for Fenway clean up and on the corner of St. Alphonsus and Calumet Streets for Mission Hill.
Volunteers don’t need to worry about bringing supplies, as community ambassadors, student leaders who work on behalf of the office, will have gloves and trash bags on hand.
“The broader impact of this is that it shows that you don’t have to volunteer for 20 hours,” Pernaa said. “You don’t have to get involved in a board or sign up for an organization to make a difference in your community. You can do so just by going outside on a Sunday for an hour.”
Another important element is that it helps students connect with their peers, she said.
For second-year students Callum Bonar and Vrun Vijaykumar, Sunday was an opportunity to get more acquainted with Boston.
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Both spent their first year at Northeastern abroad, studying on the university’s London campus, and both were at the cleanup as new members of Northeastern’s community service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega.
Bonar, a native of San Diego, said he grew up volunteering for beach cleanups, and he’s excited to do more community service while at Northeastern, he said.
“It’s always a positive thing to give back to the community,” he said. “It gives you a sense of fulfillment.”
Vijaykumar, a former Eagle Scout, concurred, noting that trash is both bad for the environment but also can cause a host of health issues.
“It’s important to address those issues, and picking up trash is a good way to start,” he said.
