JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Mississippi and Jackson leaders joined forces on Tuesday to pick up trash and debris in parts of downtown Jackson.
First Lady Elee Reeves partnered with the City of Jackson and Keep Mississippi Beautiful for the Gateway to Jackson Fall Cleanup event. The goal of the project was to make the entrances of the capital city look cleaner.
Dozens of volunteers helped pickup trash along High Street and Pearl Street. The initiative started after another big cleanup project happened a few years ago.
“It was when we had the flood with the Pearl River, back two years ago. We partnered with Keep Mississippi Beautiful to clean that, and we just had really this brainchild kind of launched from that about just ways that we can clean up our city,” said Reeves.
Sarah Kountoris, the executive director of Keep Mississippi Beautiful, said keeping the entrances to the city clean plays a big role in economic development by attracting more tourists.
“We know that people won’t come into an area and visit, go to weddings, or feel comfortable putting their children in the universities in the area. So, we wanted to let them know that it’s a safe place and a beautiful place to come in. People don’t want to visit in a place that’s not clean and beautiful,” she said.
While Tuesday’s event was about cleaning the entrances to the city, officials said citizens of Jackson should take pride in keeping the entire city clean.
“Clean up on your own. Clean up in your neighborhood. If you can’t do anything else, clean up around your children’s school or your churches. It doesn’t have to be an organized clean up,” said Kountoris.