SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) — Volunteers met in West Scranton on Thursday for a monthly community cleanup aimed at clearing litter and making a visible difference in the neighborhood.
Throwaway Thursdays, a cleanup effort that launched in 2025, is organized through NeighborWorks Northeastern PA’s West Side Pride initiative, also known as the West Scranton Neighborhood Plan.
The 10-year plan focuses on neighborhood improvement strategies including park improvements, walkability, business support and building community identity.
Kori Grogan, board member of the Safe, Clean, & Green Committee of West Side Pride, said the cleanups started last year as a way to move the committee’s monthly meetings out of offices and restaurants and into the neighborhood.
Committee members spend an hour each month cleaning a different part of West Scranton while talking about ideas and next steps for the community. This month, volunteers met in the parking lot of Gerrity’s The Fresh Grocer on Main Avenue and scouted the ground for a few blocks north toward Walgreens.
“For one, it brings pride right into your neighborhood and helps people take ownership of their neighborhood. We also encourage families to come with their children and young ones, so it teaches them how important it is not to just discard litter on the ground. Somebody is out here picking it up. I hope that mentality continues to foster our youth,” said Grogan.
Grogan added that the cleanups are held from spring through fall, and while the committee organizes the effort, community members are encouraged to come out to volunteer.
Future cleanups are scheduled for the second Thursday of each month from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. More information can be found through NeighborWorks’ website and on the West Scranton Neighborhood Plan Facebook page.