BATON ROUGE - A Baton Rouge cleanup turned into something much bigger this morning. Volunteers weren’t just picking up trash, they were helping people in recovery find hope and a second chance.

Keep Tiger Town Beautiful, along with over a hundred volunteers from The Grove Sober Living, hit O’Neal Lane Saturday morning to not only clean the streets but also make a difference in people’s lives. With trash bags, gloves, and determination, organizers say the partnership gives those in recovery a chance to give back while strengthening the community.

“They helped clean our city, and they're giving back, and they're also helping the people that are out here struggling. They can talk to them, talk about services and talk about their recovery, which helps them get into treatment,” said Trevor Thompson of The Grove Sober Living.

Thompson added that the initiative has already helped approximately 45 people off the street in the last two and a half months. 

“People just don’t understand it’s more than just picking up trash,” he said.

Organizer Jennifer Richardson said seeing the community come together for the cause was overwhelming. 

“It is emotional because, I mean, you don’t see this kind of support for people that love our city,” Richardson said.

The mayors of St. George and Baton Rouge agreed this is a parish-wide effort, not just a city one.

“This is a parish wide initiative. This isn't about Baton Rouge or St. George or Central or Zachary or Baker. This is about East Baton Rouge Parish. This is important to everybody,” said Mayor Dustin Yates.

Many of the day’s volunteers have faced struggles themselves, making their contributions even more powerful.

“The people that were here today were once on the street, a lot of the folks that were here today, struggled a lot of the folks here today through the hand of God, recovered, and that is God’s work. It’s beautiful,” said Mayor Sid Edwards.

Edwards described the event as just the beginning. 

“Hold on Baton Rouge. Hold on, parish, because we are coming,” he said.

Organizers say this won’t be the last time you see volunteers out on O’Neal Lane. They’re already planning more cleanups across the parish, hoping each one makes a difference not just in the streets, but in people’s lives.

For more information or to get involved, visit Keep Tiger Town Beautiful and The Grove Sober Living.