SALVAvida

We headed recently out to clean up near the Salvation Army, where the white styrofoam litter scattered across the area was hard to miss. Just as we were about to begin, a city bus pulled up, and the crowd dispersed—except for one person. A figure in a red hood remained, quietly staying behind while everyone else left. Without a word, he started picking up the litter we were preparing to tackle.

That person was Salvatore. When I asked him why he was cleaning up, his response was simple yet powerful. “I stay here at the Salvation Army, and I can’t stand seeing it like this,” he said. That was all I needed to hear. He didn’t have a phone or ID, but I knew immediately that he belonged on the Workforce team.

Salvatore joined us recently, and he worked like a machine from the start. His work ethic earned him a spot at the top of the team. At just 18 years old, Salvatore is the youngest member we’ve ever had. It’s hard to imagine navigating homelessness at such a young age, but he’s facing it head-on.

We’re proud to have him with us and committed to helping him however we can. This is just the beginning for young Sal. Stay tuned for more updates!

THE STORY OF FREDDY AND SIMÓN

THE STORY OF FREDDY & SIMÓN 🥊

Meet Freddy and Simón (pronounced see-moan), two incredible human beings who turned a regular day into something extraordinary.

Freddy is a boxing coach with hands of steel and a heart of gold. It was Friday morning at Raleigh Beach, and Freddy was there to do some Rocky and Apollo-style beach training with one of his athletes. But before getting into the sweat and grit of training, Freddy sees us picking up litter. Without missing a beat, he throws on a vest and gloves and starts picking up trash alongside us. Freddy goes all in, focusing especially on the trash near and in the river. He’s not complaining, just helping. He’s not asking why, just doing.

Then there’s Simon. He arrives at the beach with his wife, daughter, and two boys. They set up under a little tree, and the first thing his wife does is open a trash bag and tie it to the tree. Classy move. Simon and his family are there to relax, but when he sees a small island off the shore covered in litter, he jumps into action. We were dreading cleaning it up cause it would mean we’d be soaked. Without a word, Simon and his youngest son wade out of the river with hands full of trash. They had picked every single piece of litter on the island. No one asked them to do it—they just did. A good dad passing on a sense of responsibility to his son.

Both Freddy and Simon could have just kicked back and watched us work. Freddy was there to train, and Simon was there to enjoy a day with his family. But they saw others pitching in and decided to join the effort.

In a world where it's easy to look the other way, Freddy and Simon chose to step up. Their actions remind us that making a difference doesn't always require grand gestures—sometimes, it's the small, selfless acts that truly make the world a better place. Here’s to the Freddys and Simons out there, turning everyday moments into opportunities for impact and community spirit.

Crazy Dave

I was quite certain that when we started the Workforce, someone would stand out. Someone would end up separating themselves from the group. I envisioned that person being a ‘helper’ and taking some responsibilities off my plate. And that has come in the form of a 5’5”, 60 year-old man that has the energy of a 14 year old. Allow me to introduce you to Crazy Dave (That's what he calls himself, I just call him Dave). 

From the first day he joined, I knew Dave ‘got it’. He felt my passion for the work and knew what I expected. Now I will admit and have said before that a big part of why the Workforce was created is to give a chance to our community members that need it most. But it's also about getting more of this damn litter up. I’m tired of seeing it. It's too much. It's everywhere. 

Dave gets that. Not everyone in the Workforce does nor are they expected. Just about all are good, steady workers but all don’t share nor see my passion for the environmental impact nor fully understand what I expect without me having to remind them occasionally. But Dave, and a couple others, totally get it. He knows that I need every single solitary piece of (safely accessible) litter hauled out. He gets that if we are nearing the end, and I’m still picking, y’all better be damn picking too. He gets that if I can see that plastic bag or piece of styrofoam still down on the ground, you better see it too. 

His favorite thing to say is “if the other guys have one bag, I got three’! And in most cases it's true. No one works as hard as him or has the drive to do a good job like him. I’d take him into any litter battle we come up against. If you’ve been around a while, you’ve seen or heard me mention the name of our volunteer Zach and how when Zach shows up, I know we are going to crush it. Dave is Zach, but 25 years older. Both want to be in the weeds, fighting trees and brush, filthy at the end. Dave has to end up shirtless or it was a boring pick. 

One quick story to sum up Dave. We’ve been helping out a lot this year at the Red Hat concerts doing landfill diversion. It's a fantastic partnership. Volunteers help us divert as much aluminum from the landfill as possible while getting to see great shows. We in turn are able to recycle that aluminum and get paid for it (although the value of aluminum is dropping). At a recent show, we didn’t have any volunteers sign up. Probably not a show a bunch wanted to see. But I knew this crowd would be drinkin’. So I asked Dave if he’d like to roll with me and see what we could do, just he and I. I told him that we’d split whatever the scrap was minus gas. He was all in. He loves having something to do, especially when he can make some extra coin. That night, just the two of us, along with the Red Hat staff, diverted 420 pounds of aluminum from the landfill. That's more than 10,000 cans with a value of about $200. I can honestly say that Dave was responsible for about 85% of that effort. I tapped out about 90 minutes in, but he did not. He filled up our trailer and truck bed. He impressed the entire Red Hat staff, including Ms. Pat. He even got a job inquiry but he told them they had to talk to me. That's the kind of person he is. 

He often talks about the caulking business that he ran in his past. We can’t pass a commercial facility or new build without him mentioning how he’d caulk the hell of that place. Or how no one can lay down a bead of caulk like him. And he judges my trailer backing skills which is like questioning my manhood. That almost got him fired once. 

But that's Dave in a nutshell. I don’t know a ton about his past before his life changed. He doesn’t talk about it. He’s not perfect. He will never say he is (other than the caulk thing). He’d admit to mistakes. He doesn’t complain about his living situation. He’s grateful. He’s a forward moving person. He wants to know the next job. The next chance to make a couple bucks. The next chance to make and impact. I will make every attempt to give as many people a chance to join the Workforce as possible. But Dave, you’re welcomed every week. - Preston

It almost got me! Almost

October 2020 to February 2024

“It will never happen to me.” - Preston

“But it has happened to others.” - Little devil on Preston’s shoulder

“That’s them. I am too passionate about what I do. I’ll never get burnt out.” - Preston

March 2024

“Ladies and gentlemen, we got him!” - Little devil on Preston’s shoulder

—-------------------------------------------------

Yea, it happened and it happened quickly. One day I was all in on everything and the next day I was overwhelmed, stressed, and, for the first time, the idea of doing something else with my life crept in. 

For 3+ years I had no issue doing it all. Like everything. Plan and host each of the 200+ cleanups. Handle 200+ post-cleanup cleanups (which, honestly, is more work than actually picking up the litter). Make every single one of the 100+ Adopt the Block supply deliveries. Respond to every email. Create every social media post* and manage engagement. Fundraising, finances, insurance, newsletters, and all the other stuff that I have somehow blocked out of my mind while writing this. I didn’t have a problem doing all that. Did it all with a smile. It felt like my calling.

But that all changed in early spring 2024. The year started off great. Things were rolling. Impact was being made. But my energy and drive was starting to get chipped away.. Maybe it was the one group that emailed me the morning of an event saying they would have 15 volunteers after I asked they bring no more than 12.  Or maybe it was that one corporate cleanup I agreed to when I knew I didn't have the bandwidth to handle it. Or maybe it was that person who, as a means of looking out for us, made that one networking connection that ended up with me in 3 meetings I didn't really want to attend. 

Or, maybe, it was the Earth Day Extravaganza that I spent five months planning and was forced to cancel because it was scheduled on the coldest and rainiest spring day in Raleigh history (don’t fact check that). The event where I made 90% of the vendor connections, thanks Kait, created all of the signage, got sponsors for, scheduled and blah blah blah. Also, for anyone asking, yes, it is being rescheduled. For April 2025!

But, am I allowed to feel this way? Everyone has stuff. My stuff is basically nothing. Some folks are dealing with actual ‘stuff’. Plus, no one is forcing me to do this work so am I allowed to complain? I don’t like hearing others complain so no one wants to hear me groan. I was born smack dab in the middle of ‘suck it up’ and ‘acknowledging mental health’. And I tend to lean more towards suck it up. 

But there is still a glimmer of hope. Something that will get me through and back to loving what I built; our community. I can keep going because I know how much joy Blake and Brad have at the events. Or even with his arm in a sling, Gus still will show up ready to pick up litter. Or that Carolyn is getting in as many cleanups as she can before she becomes a grandmother for the first time. Or maybe, just maybe, there is another Amy and Saurabh out there and they need our events to find each other and everlasting love. 

Maybe I can keep going because I know Dennis needs to work so that he can get a room for the night and not sleep in a shelter. Or Keith is struggling mentally but when he is with us, for those few hours, things are a little clearer. Or for Pedro who may just get affordable housing simply because one day nearly 4 years ago I decided to pick up some litter.**

I am going to figure it out. I’m not giving up yet. I’ll learn to ask for help. I might even hire some help when we finally have the funding. Maybe I coordinate a volunteer cleanup a couple times a month instead of every single week. Maybe we do Adopt the Block supply pickups instead of drop offs. Maybe I will train someone else to lead when I need a break. I think I caught ‘burn out’ before it caught me. With a little help, and maybe a spa day, I will get back to it. - Preston

*Since Ela moved back to PA

**I used fake names but the scenarios are 100% real.