Mobilizing City‑Wide Action Through Community Cleanup

Pitch‑In Kingston – City of Kingston

Role: Dan Hendry

Year: 2010–2016

Community action often begins with something simple: taking care of the shared spaces we all rely on. During my time as a Public Education and Promotions Coordinator with the City of Kingston, I spent several years helping to coordinate Pitch‑In Kingston, the city’s largest annual community cleanup initiative.

When I became involved, the program was going through an important transition. Pitch‑In Kingston had previously been coordinated through the Chamber of Commerce, but there was a clear opportunity to embed the initiative more deeply within the community. The program shifted to being jointly supported by the City of Kingston and Sustainable Kingston, and I stepped into a role focused on helping manage that transition and scaling the initiative effectively.

Much of my work centred on organization and coordination. I supported project timelines, logistics, and overall planning to enable a city‑wide cleanup involving residents, schools, community groups, and local businesses. Public marketing and communications were a major focus of the role—promoting participation, managing sign‑ups, and making it easy for people to take part in ways that fit their neighbourhoods and schedules.

A key part of expanding participation was simplifying access. We partnered with local Tim Hortons locations to create convenient bag pick‑up and drop‑off points, allowing residents to choose areas of the city to clean and return collected waste with minimal friction. Behind the scenes, I worked closely with Public Works and other municipal departments to ensure collected bags were picked up efficiently and responsibly disposed of, so volunteers could see tangible results from their efforts.

I also served as a primary point of contact for community members, helping groups identify priority areas in need of cleanup and supporting residents who wanted to lead their own local efforts. The goal was always to reduce barriers clear instructions, clear timelines, and reliable follow‑through—so people could focus on contributing rather than navigating bureaucracy.

Pitch‑In Kingston reinforced for me how powerful structured civic engagement can be. When a municipality provides clear coordination and meaningful support, people step up. Year after year, the program demonstrated how municipal leadership can amplify grassroots energy and turn a complex logistical effort into a shared community tradition. Helping to coordinate Pitch‑In Kingston remains one of the most tangible examples of how public education, strong partnerships, and good systems can lead to visible, positive change across an entire city.

Related Links & Media: https://getinvolved.cityofkingston.ca/community-cleanup