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LETTER: Langley City couple find unexpected treasures while picking up litter

A local couple wanted to send a shout-out to the friendly, helpful people they’ve met as volunteers
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Marcel and Genevieve Perchotte say they’ve enjoyed meeting lots of local people as part of the volunteer clean up program in Langley City. (Perchotte/Special to the Langley Advance Times)

Dear Editor,

Langley City is beautiful and so are the people who live here! However, we notice that the city is being treated as a garbage dump. The Point of Pride program offers some supplies to anyone who would enjoy walking around in a clean city.

My husband, Marcel, and I moved to B.C. from Manitoba about four years ago, and moved to Langley in April 2019.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we found that volunteering was a great way to make ourselves useful and not get lonely or bored.

We started going for walks in Nicomekl Park and visited the ducks. Then bought some bird seeds to feed them.

Noticing all the garbage, we just had to do something more. That’s when someone told us about the volunteer program.

We’ve been volunteering almost everyday since April this year. We’ve enjoyed meeting the friendly people and even some store owners have now taken on the task of keeping their frontage and back property clean.

Many thanks to some homeless people, who are helping us when they see us coming, by cleaning up their areas and placing garbage in our bags.

Our challenge is to keep Fuller Lane to be the cleanest lane in B.C. We not only maintain this lane but maintain Salt Lane and around the front on 56th Avenue.

If anyone is ever lonely or bored and yet are healthy enough to go for a walk and pick up garbage, we guarantee that you won’t regret it. You will even enjoy it. At times we have even found a bit of money. Somedays, we found a toonie, other times a penny and even a dime.

A big thanks to the following:

1.The owners of the Launderette on Douglas Crescent for keeping the parking lot so clean.

2. Dick Carter of Thrifter’s Paradise for bottles of water, just when we really need it.

3. Hot & Toasty Cafe on Salt Lane, who gave us water and a piece of delicious cake.

4. To Mike [Hunniford], the artist at McBurney Plaza on Fraser Highway for keeping the area clean.

5. To Ron, of Café Young, who gave me a cup of coffee and a donut to my husband, Marcel.

6. To Lookout, for the bottle water just when we really needed it, as it was a very hot day.

7. To all the people who smile and say thank you to us, when they see us coming.

8. To the staff of the City of Langley for supplying the equipment. Kim, Linda, Dawn and Barry.

9. To David, of Everything But Diamonds, who offered us to rent videos at no charge.

10. 7-Eleven on the corner of Douglas Crescent and 203rd Street, who gave us Brain Freezers.

Thank you to anyone we may have forgotten to list, but will never forget your kindness.

First photo is the parking behind the launderette. Second photo is where Mike keeps his area clean. Third photo is where we leave our bags for Barry of the City of Langley, to pick up. Thank you, Barry.

Genevieve Perchotte, Langley City

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A local resident who is part of a volunter litter pick up program wanted to laud those who help make the task easier. (Genevieve Perchotte/Special to the Langley Advance Times)
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A local resident has written about the many helpful people she has met as a volunteer litter picker. (Genevieve Perchotte/Special to the Langley Advance Times)
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Genevieve Perchotte sent along photos of the areas in Langley City where her and her husband, Marcel, pick up litter as part of a volunteer program. (Perchotte/Special to the Langley Advance Times)