ALTON - The organization Trinity’s Way will host its annual litter clean-up and pet food drive to celebrate Trinity’s birthday.
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From 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, people are invited to drop off pet food and supplies at Piasa Park. Community members can also participate in a litter clean-up of the caves. April Gray, founder of Trinity’s Way and Trinity’s mother, said the organization’s mission is to boost conservation and animal welfare in memory of Trinity.
“It is a big weekend for us because this is the weekend that we normally celebrate Trinity’s birthday,” Gray said. “We do the litter cleanup down at the caves because that was one of her favorite places in all of Alton, and she hated the litter that was down there. So we do that cleanup for her birthday, and then in conjunction with the cleanup, we do the pet food drive also.”
Trinity was a vocal advocate for the conservation of the caves in Alton, and she spoke out against littering in a piece she wrote for “Orion Magazine.” Trinity’s Way sponsors regular clean-ups of the caves and River Road down by Piasa Park.
They also do a lot to support animals in the community. During last year’s pet food drive, the organization collected over 300 pounds of pet food. They hope to hit the 500-pound mark this year. They accept any pet food donations, including partially used bags of food and treats, as well as supplies like carriers, blankets, towels and toys.
“For us, it’s really just about carrying on what Trinity was all about and what her passions were,” Gray said. “She was the little girl who asked for pet food supplies so that she could turn around and donate to 5A’s, which was one of her favorite organizations in town.”
Gray said they plan to donate this year’s collection to various organizations in the area, including the Metro East Humane Society’s Riverbend Pet Food Pantry. They hope to distribute their donations at several organizations.
“There’s been a pretty significant increase in various organizations that need more help and support this year, so we’ll get together as a board and talk about how we’re going to split those donations up so that we can do the most good for the greatest amount of organizations in the area,” Gray said. “We like to try to help out as many organizations as we possibly can to spread that love around and what we’re doing in memory of Trinity.”
Supporting as many organizations as possible is an important part of the Trinity’s Way mission because it’s exactly what Trinity would have wanted, Gray said. Everything the organization does is with the goal of promoting Trinity’s passions and spreading her memory to more people in the Riverbend region.
“It’s just the core of everything that we’re about, just carrying on her spirit and making sure that all those great things about her are not just remembered by us, but are remembered by people in the community who never even had a chance to get to know her and who she was,” Gray explained. “We have great community support, but we want to make sure that we keep that momentum going. So I’d really just like to encourage as many people as possible to come out this weekend to help with the cleanup or just stop by and drop off donations. It’s absolutely necessary to keep that momentum going in order for us to continue doing what we do.”
For more information about Trinity’s Way, including how to support them, visit their website at TrinitysWay.org or their official Facebook page.
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