Sorrell area joins in to 'Keep St. Mary Beautiful'

Keep America Beautiful recently launched the Great American Cleanup, the nation’s largest community improvement program.
As the 2017 Great American Cleanup Day sponsor and in conjunction with Earth Day, residents of the Sorrell Community cleaned along La. 182 and the railroad track running parallel within the community. This is the first year residents from the Sorrell community have participated in the Keep St. Mary Beautiful campaign.
In recognition of this event, local parish chapter of Keep St. Mary Beautiful and Sorrell residents organized a cleanup day. Local affiliates and partnering organizations and volunteers sponsors play a key role in the success of the Great American Cleanup.
Ninety 30-gallon trash bags were collected yielding roughly 8½ tons of litter. Items collected consisted of cigarette butts, beer cans, wine bottles, plastic bags filled with used disposable pampers, abandoned toys and other debris.
Fifty-five volunteers were involved, including Louis Ratcliff and Mayor Pro-tem Jacki Ackel of the Town of Berwick; Mayor Rodney Grogan of the City of Patterson; St. Mary Parish Councilmen Gabriel Beadle and Rev. Craig A. Matthews; staff and residents from Claire House for Women and Children in Bayou Vista; Pastor Lee Condolle and congregation from One Faith Fellowship Christian Center of Patterson; Juanita Clements of St. Mary Parish 4-H, BEB/WSM JAG Program; Matt Ackel of the Port of Morgan City; Chief Clarence Clark of St. Mary Parish Fire District 11; Brady Borel of KQKI 95.3 FM; Juanita Bienvenu of the Patterson Garden Club; and other Keep St. Mary Beautiful committee members also joined in the cleanup efforts.