Missouri River Relief, Spire Serves to partner for Missouri River cleanup

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- A Missouri River non-profit and Spire Serves are partnering to assist with River cleanup efforts in St. Joseph.

Volunteers will travel by boat to remote sections of the Missouri River shoreline that are difficult to access by land, removing trash and debris from areas that often go unseen.

The cleanup is part of Missouri River Relief's ongoing work to connect people to the river through hands-on stewardship experiences.

The volunteer river cleanup will take place on Wednesday, June 24.

Volunteer load-in will begin at 8:45 a.m. at the French Bottom Access and will return to the boat ramp around 2:45 p.m. with collected trash.

"Corporate cleanup partnerships like this create direct, meaningful connections to the river," said Harry Katz, communications director for the organization. "When volunteers step onto the river, see these places firsthand, and help care for them, it changes the way people think about the Missouri River and their relationship to it."

According to a news release, Missouri River Relief has hosted around 231 cleanups and deployed more than 100 "Away Team" cleanups across the Missouri River watershed.

The organization said it has removed more than 2,178,000 pounds of trash from the river and surrounding waterways with the help of more than 35,000 volunteers since 2001.