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The City of Suffolk and Keep Suffolk Beautiful partnered with over 400 sailors from the PCU John F. Kennedy for a city-wide cleanup event on March 21. They picked up over 10,000 pounds of trash across 22 cleanup sites. City Manager Al Moor awarded the JFK sailors a championship belt for their efforts during an appreciation ceremony at Bennetts Creek Park.

“Your efforts today, kicking us off … propels us greatly into [the Great Suffolk Cleanup] next weekend,” Moor said at the appreciation ceremony. “You guys from outside the city now coming in, you deserve a championship belt.”

Organized by the Command Religious Ministries Department, not only does the cleanup event benefit the city, but it’s also a fun event that sailors look forward to, said Navy Chaplain Andrew Hoyle.

“It’s a great opportunity for sailors to get out in the community and make a positive contribution,” he said. “We find it makes a huge difference in morale, I think it’s a win-win.”

Shonda Bunch, chief religious program specialist, said they had been looking forward to the event for months, and more than half of the volunteers also participated in the cleanup event last year.

She added events like these are important in order to continue bridging the gap between the military and civilian communities.

This was JFK sailor Gregory Hussey’s first time participating in the cleanup event, and he said he enjoyed it. His group picked up a lot of trash, and he plans to continue participating as long as the event continues.

“Anytime we have any chance to give back or help, like picking up trash, something like that, it just shows we care,” Hussey said. “It’s important. I know a lot of people want to keep the streets clean. I know everybody at the JFK loves coming out here.”