Brandywine River cleanup set for April 21

The Young Friends of the Brandywine seek volunteers to assist with the annual Brandywine River Cleanup.

CHADDS FORD » The Young Friends of the Brandywine are currently seeking volunteers to assist with their 25th Annual Brandywine River Cleanup on Saturday, April 21, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This annual event helps ensure cleaner water for more than 500,000 residents who rely on the Brandywine River as their primary source of drinking water — including those living in Coatesville and Downingtown, and the City of Wilmington, Delaware — and it also aids in providing a healthier habitat for wildlife and a safer environment for recreational activities.

Since the event’s inception, the Young Friends have removed more than 30 tons of trash from the banks of the Brandywine River, between Lenape and the Delaware state line. Over the years, items plucked from the Brandywine include picnic tables, tires, lawn chairs, thousands of aluminum cans and even a huge stuffed purple gorilla. Volunteers are advised to wear hats, long pants, heavy shoes or boots, and sunscreen. Gloves and trash bags will be provided. The Young Friends will also provide lunch for all volunteers following the cleanup.

This event is appropriate for adults and children over the age of five. To volunteer for the cleanup, please contact Kaitlin LeRoy at kleroy@brandywine.org or 610-388-8341. Volunteers are asked to come to the Brandywine Conservancy building — located on the same campus as the Brandywine River Museum of Art — at 9 a.m. to register and be divided into teams to clean sections of the river banks. The Conservancy is located at 1 Hoffman’s Mill Road, Chadds Ford, PA 19317.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Volunteers are needed to help the Young Friends of the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art.