By Violet Li
There is nothing more timely than a Clean Up Drive after a massive storm that turned Berwick upside down.
A Clean Up Drive, hosted by the INC Giving Project on Sunday 18 February, restored the Brentwood Park Neighbourhood House and its surroundings to the utmost way they were before the tempestuous weather.
About 200 volunteers joined in the clean-up, from young preschool children, teenagers, senior citizens, and whole families.
They inspected the community house, adjacent parklands, and streets, picking up rubbish and large fallen branches. Many large bags of rubbish and branches were collected.
Volunteers also cleaned the community house, specifically the playgroup area.
A free pancake breakfast and a sausage sizzle lunch were provided to thank all volunteers for their time and energy.
The INC Giving Project is a project of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) that encourages volunteers to contribute to their communities through outreach initiatives, community service projects, and philanthropic contributions. The activities through the Giving Project are not religiously affiliated.
Kate Pangilinan, a member and event organiser, speaking about the project, said there would be community service programs coming up every month this year all around the state and even around the globe.
“In the following months, we’ll be doing blood donation and more clean up drives. We plan to do a winter drive. We’ll be giving out free winter goods,” she said.
“In the past, we’ve done lunch box drives. We give out free lunch boxes and school snacks.”
Ms Pangilinan said the project had been around for quite a few years, but this year it was a relaunch.
“The reason why we do it is we just want to give back to the community. We just want to be able to help people wherever we can,” she said.
