Walk around Lake Merritt and you’ll spot the green U-Clean-It boxes: volunteer stations stocked with trash barrels and bags, pickers, nets, gloves, and safety vests ready for LMI’s volunteers. But years of use and weather have left the boxes showing wear and wood rot. Last month, LMI was grateful to receive a grant from Keep Oakland Beautiful (KOB) and Blue Shield of California to rehabilitate the Glen Echo box.
Keep Oakland Beautiful’s mission is to create and sustain a beautiful, clean, green, litter-free Oakland through education, community engagement, and volunteer action. This makes them a natural partner for LMI. Upon learning of the need to repair and refresh the U-Clean-It boxes, KOB generously agreed to sponsor a box restoration. LMI used these funds to hire a local carpenter to build a new box and prepare it for placement.
On a sunny Friday, August 22nd, twelve volunteers from Blue Shield arrived ready to get creative with brushes and paint! Told only to keep the designs lake-themed, the team drew inspiration from Lake Merritt’s rich flora and fauna. Soon, the boxes were adorned with algae, fish, sea urchins, rays, shore birds, and wildflowers. The bright, attractive murals bring color to the lake and help deter graffiti.
About the box restoration and painting, KOB Board Chair Christina Porter says, “Blue Shield and KOB volunteers did such incredible work — and it looked really fun! We hope as visitors walk the lake, their eyes catch the bright wildlife and nature-themed designs, and they are inspired to love our lake, keep it clean, and learn more about LMI.”
Secure, fully-stocked U-Clean-It boxes give volunteers immediate access to cleanup tools, helping them improve water quality and create healthier habitat for the 140 bird species, 30 fish species, and other marine life that live here. These efforts keep Lake Merritt clean, safe, and welcoming for jogging, birdwatching, and connecting with nature — all the reasons we love our lake.
Keep Oakland Beautiful is a 100% volunteer-run nonprofit. They raise donations to host city-wide cleanups, plant trees and native plants, install murals, and award up to $15K each year to community organizations like ours. We’re grateful to KOB for their generous investment in our community, and to Blue Shield for bringing our new U-Clean-It box to life!
Look for the new box on your next walk around the lake, and come volunteer with LMI to see it up close. As KOB reminds us: keeping Oakland beautiful is everyone’s business.
Blue Shield of California volunteers show off their lake-inspired artwork on the new U-Clean-It box
A big thanks to Keep Oakland Beautiful for sponsoring the brand new U-Clean-It box at Glen Echo!
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