As the weather warms and the ground begins to thaw, one local group is looking to “Team Up to Clean Up” in Marshalltown this Saturday and is hoping to draw interested volunteers to take part in a day of community wide spring cleaning.

The cleanup event is being sponsored by a host of businesses from around the area including Junk Relief, Exterior + Home Remodeling, Marshall BWS, Hy-Vee, The Mopsters, and Walmart, and as Junk Relief’s Jake Rowley says, the objective for community events like this is always the same.

“My main goal is just to always make sure that we’re giving back to the community, year after year after year, in some way, because the community does really give back to us,” he said.

Having taken part in similar events in the past, Rowley says Saturday’s “Team Up to Clean Up” came about as he pondered additional ways to use his business and cleanup acumen to step in and help out his community, and when other businesses like Hy-Vee, Walmart, and Marshall BWS wanted to become involved, the local collaboration proved fruitful.

“It was just my brain just trying to brainstorm up another way that we can bring value to the community, with the equipment and the skills that we have,” he said. “We’re able to really make an impact and clean up the community.”

Those looking to volunteer are asked to meet at either the Marshalltown Hy-Vee or Walmart parking lot from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday to receive supplies, refreshments, and clean-up location guidance. Volunteers will receive gloves, trash bags, Sub City sandwiches, free drinks, and other clean up tools to use throughout the day,

Community members of all ages are encouraged to attend and gift bags will be provided for the young volunteers looking to give back this weekend.

Marshall Beer Wine and Spirits will also be handing out water and supplies from the store for teams on the north side of town.

Those taking part in the community wide cleanup will be sent to areas in the city nominated by community members throughout Marshalltown.

“We’re still looking for nominated areas,” Rowley said. “So, you’re driving down the road, and you see that this ditch is really bad, or this park looks really bad for whatever reason… email us, call us, send a message to our Junk Relief (Facebook) page, however, and you can nominate an area in your neighborhood. Then we’ll send a team that day and clean that up.”

For more information about Saturday’s event, updates, and ways to nominate an area in the community to be cleaned, see Junk Relief’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/IowaJunkRelief.

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Contact Nick Baur at 641-753-6611 or nbaur@timesrepublican.com.