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It’s a leisurely morning on Elbow Cay, Bahamas. We sip coffee on the deck of the Hope Town Coffee House, there is no schedule, we have no plans.

A morning walk is the perfect activity to soak in all of the island goodness.

As we descend the coffee house steps, we’re greeted by two, enthusiastic, ladies.

“Hi, what are you doing today?”

“We’re just going for a walk.”

“Great. Today is island clean-up day. Would you like to volunteer? We could give you a trash bag. You could pick up trash you see along the way during your walk.”

It sounds simple enough. We accept the bag.

Of course, it’s not so simple. Once you give us a job, we’re going to complete that task 110%.

It’s now a mission, a quest, to rid the island of rubbish.

We find a perfect, “gettin’ stick”, for reaching things in hard places.

Since I’m little and wiry, I scramble in the wooded areas, ducking under low branches to retrieve  abandoned island wear.

One bag full, we tie it up, leaving it at the side of the road. The bags will be picked up the following day.

Perfectly timed, one of the volunteer clean-up carts drives by. We wave it down and ask for another bag. We are determined to fill this one too.

Many of the island’s residents participate in the clean-up. We chat as discarded plastic drink cups find their way into our trash bags. In some of the pristine island areas, everyone rushes toward a wayward bottle.

A woman remarks,

“You know it’s a successful island clean-up day, when people are competing for the trash.”

The majority of garbage discarded in the woods and on the beach are bottles and plastic cups.

The most unique item we find is a swim fin.

Triumphant in filling a second trash bag, we’ve run out of time.

Island clean-up volunteers are invited to the Firefly Resort, to enjoy a free, celebration lunch.

While walking to the Firefly, we hitch a golf cart ride with a couple of snowbirds from the U.K.. The Brits sit with us at lunch, and we have an engaging chat.

The Firefly Resort, goes above and beyond, providing an impressive, buffet, spread.

The food is delicious.

Because the view from the Firefly demands it, we spring for a couple of fancy island drinks from the bar.

It’s quite the turn out. The crowd converses about how many bags of trash they filled and what unusual items they found. It’s exciting to be part of a community coming together, even if just for a day. 

Though we didn’t expect to volunteer for an island clean-up when we planned our trip to Elbow Cay, Bahamas, it turned out to be a terrific experience. It felt great helping such a beautiful place, and to restore some of the nature back to its meant-to-be condition. 

Whether planned or unplanned, I hope there will be more opportunities to give back and volunteer during our travels.

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