Northeast Tennessee “Keep America Beautiful” affiliates hosted “Public Lands Day” on Saturday at Middle Creek in southeastern Greene County, an area hard hit by Aug. 4 flooding.

The cleanup focused on debris left behind after the August cleanup.
Candy Adams, director of Keep Greene Beautiful, said the cleanup resulted in 23,440 pounds of debris and 250 bags of litter being collected.

Some of the items that were collected included a $20 bill, which was then given to Patsy Shelton, the mother of Aaron Willett, whose family lost everything they owned in the flood.

The family’s losses included a vehicle and Aaron’s wallet, which contained his paycheck for one week, plus their mobile home and its contents.

Debris collected during the event included the remains of a stove, a refrigerator, a TV set, a microwave oven, a washer and dryer, clothes and furniture.

A litter pick-up was conducted from Hermon United Methodist Church for about a mile and a half along both sides of Middle Creek Road.

About one-fourth of a mile of Middle Creek itself, which was still very polluted with debris from the flood, was cleaned up.

150 Bags Of Debris Collected

More than 150 bags of debris were collected just from the creek, not to mention four truckloads of metal and other construction debris, according to Adams.

Adams said 30 volunteers attended the event from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturday, representing Keep Greene Beautiful, Keep Kingsport Beautiful, Keep Bristol Beautiful, Johnson City Clean Team, Greene County Fishing & Hunting Club, the Middle Creek Marine Corps League, the Jacobs Creek Job Corps of Bristol, the Middle Nolichucky Watershed Alliance and Hermon United Methodist Church.
Among the volunteer workers were Susan and Larry Newman, formerly of Kingsport, but now residents of New York City.

According to Adams, the couple were visiting in Kingsport when they heard about the Public Lands Day event and decided to devote Saturday morning to helping out. She said the couple told her that so many people have helped New York, they wanted to give something back.

Sponsors of the event included: TVA, the Tennessee Department of Transportation, the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation, Keep America Beautiful, Keep Tennessee Beautiful, and the Greeneville Streets & Sanitation Department.
“The day was a great success," Adams said.

“We did more than just a Public Lands Day project; we were able to help a community in need. The cleanup was a very emotional event; this was not just litter — this was people’s lives destroyed by nature. All the volunteers showed a great respect for the project."

Jim Whitbeck said, “This event was so rewarding, I am very glad I could take part in such a worthwhile event. I brought my father to help with the cleanup. He also thought the event was a great attribute to the community."

Patsy Shelton, Aaron Willet’s mother, also helped in the cleanup. She said she felt like she needed to be involved to clean up all of the debris. She also is a member of the Middle Creek community.

“This was so moving to see so many volunteers willing to spend a Saturday morning to help people they don't know,” she said. “This was a closure for our family, to give us a fresh start and help Aaron and his family rebuild.”