Volunteer groups and 'Hope Works' partnership remove tens of thousands of pounds of trash

City leaders and volunteers described long-standing partnerships that pair trained volunteer crews with city services to remove large volumes of trash and provide pathways to employment.

"They removed over 80,000 pounds of trash in our community, just that one program," Allison Van Gilder said, naming Hope Works (formerly the Downtown Streets Team) as a major partner. She added that volunteer partnerships contributed roughly 452 volunteer hours in 2025, which "equates to over $17,000" in avoided city costs.

Colton Pacheco said the volunteer groups augment city crews and, in some cases, members trained with volunteers have moved into part-time roles with the city's blight abatement efforts: "some of the members of Downtown Streets Team has actually joined the City of Modesto as employees working for the Modesto Police Department's blight team," he said.

Organizers said the volunteer programs not only remove trash but create civic pride and pathways to employment; city staff said they rely on grant funding and Measure H to sustain operations. Officials and volunteers encouraged residents to join scheduled cleanups and to use city collection events to avoid street dumping.