Faith Church schedules Adopt-A-Highway activity

Years ago, Faith Church adopted the section of Route 340 that runs in front of its location at 2124 Old Philadelphia Pike, Lancaster, through PennDOT's Adopt-A-Highway program. At some point, the church's involvement in the program was not renewed, but about four years ago, church member Michelle Shertzer made the effort to get the church involved again. Shertzer was surprised to learn the section of Route 340 assigned to Faith Church was slightly different from the segment covered in the past.

The new section begins near the corner of Buckwalter Road and Old Philadelphia Pike and continues for 2 miles to Mill Creek, including both sides of the road. On Sunday, May 21, the church will hold its spring cleanup event, during which members and volunteers from the community will gather at the church and then pick up trash along the route. Shertzer said that the activity will begin with a free lunch at 11:30 a.m., followed by the cleanup at 12:15 p.m. "We break into groups and section off (the area)," said Shertzer. "We park in one area and cross over and then come back."

According to Shertzer, PennDOT supplies all the black plastic bags for trash, white plastic bags for recyclables, and gloves for the cleanup. PennDOT picks up the bags in front of the church after the activity is completed.

Members of the community are invited to just show up to help out with the cleanup. "The minimum age to participate is 8 years old, and children must be accompanied by an adult," Shertzer shared. Generally, the cleanup takes about an hour. Volunteers are encouraged to dress appropriately for the task and the weather.

Pieces of trash that the crew has found generally include cigarette butts, expired credit cards, and the typical cups, cans, and wrappers. Once, however, a team member discovered a horseshoe near the Smoketown Turkey Hill. About 15 minutes later, a member of the Plain community approached asking if they had found one. "His horse had thrown a shoe," remarked Shertzer. "What was the likelihood we would find it?" Another time, a passerby asked what they were doing and then brought back bottles of water for the whole crew. "(The cleanup) is a lot of fun," said Shertzer.

Readers who have questions about the activity may email mfshertzer@yahoo.com or call 223-281-8204.