Grimmway Farms Returns to Lamont for 5th Annual Community Cleanup
BAKERSFIELD, CA - With gloves on and garbage bags in-hand, more than 200 Grimmway Farms employee volunteers and their families took to the streets of Lamont, California, for the company’s 5th community cleanup event. Split into 11 groups, the volunteers helped clean up the neighborhood, pick up trash, and remove large waste like furniture and debris throughout the city last Saturday morning.
“I was born and raised in this area, and I go to work here every day,” said company President Jeff Huckaby. “The annual cleanup event is important to me because it allows us to give back to the community as a team. It also helps us set a great example for our kids on how to care for the environment, a concept focal to our business.”
Lamont was the location of Grimmway’s inaugural community cleanup event in 2013, and the company and its volunteers were excited to return to the city again this year.
“We wanted to show the folks in this area that we want to be good stewards to the place we call home as a company,” said Dana Brennan, Grimmway Farms' Director of Corporate and Government Affairs. “Part of that is showing them that we care what the community looks like, and we want to be a part of making them feel proud of where they live.”
According to a press release, volunteers filled two dumpsters with trash and one flatbed truck with tires, mattresses, and electronics, while Lamont residents walked down their driveways and rolled down their car windows to thank the groups of volunteers involved in the cleanup effort.
This year, the Grimmway Farms Safety team partnered with representatives from Kern County Public Works—who provided dumpsters and waivers to dispose of large items at the Bena Landfill—to ensure trash was correctly disposed of and that volunteers took the precautions needed to ensure safety was the top priority.
“Kern County Public Works was instrumental in making this year’s cleanup a success,” said Mandy Harris, Grimmway Farms’ Executive Assistant and Head of the Planning Committee for the annual cleanup event. “We are so thankful for the support Michelle Burns-Lusich and her team provided our volunteers.”
Following the event, Grimmway’s leadership team, employees, and their families enjoyed a lunch provided by the company at Bear Mountain Park. Younger volunteers (kids!) enjoyed face painting, craft stations, and bounce houses as a fun award for their hard work. Leftover food from the lunch was then donated to shelters in Bakersfield.
Kern County residents and visitors can report illegal dumping within the road right-of-way to the Public Works Department by calling (661) 862-8891.
