Volunteers needed for mass park cleanup in Austin Saturday

This weekend you’ll have the opportunity to make sure Austin parks are clean and safe for visitors. Thousands of people will gather on Saturday for It’s My Park Day.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — This weekend you’ll have the opportunity to make sure Austin parks are clean and safe for visitors. Thousands of people will gather on Saturday for It’s My Park Day.

In Austin, there are over 300 parks. On Saturday, volunteers will work on almost a third of them, taking the time to improve their own outdoor oasis.

Projects include painting picnic tables, clearing brush and restoring a butterfly garden.

Hosted by the Austin Parks Foundation, this event takes place twice every year on the first Saturday of November and March.

The goal is to patch up parks, trails and greenbelts throughout the city. Volunteers do that by mulching, planting and cleaning up.

Around 3,000 volunteers are expected to show up.

The event has been going on since 2003. Organizers said it makes a major difference.

“It’s saving the parks department close to a million dollars in labor every year, so it’s a significant hand that we lend to our parks department to do some of the work that they don’t have the time and the energy to do," said CEO of Austin Parks Foundation Colin Wallis.

The foundation has partnered with local coffee shops and breweries to offer free and discounted drinks for volunteers throughout their shifts.

To register for a park improvement project in your neighborhood, click this link. Everyone who volunteers in advance will receive a free t-shirt at the event.