Image: Dusty Smith / An excavator is pictured during a two-day cleanup effort along Silver Skagit Road south of Hope this past week. Volunteers and businesses contributed mightily toward the effort. Roughly 420 volunteer man hours went into the initiative, according to Dusty Smith, who was involved in getting the cleanup project off the ground.  

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Homeless camp cleanup

Dedicated volunteers, 15+ businesses contribute to massive homeless camp cleanup in Hope

Oct 10, 2024 | 9:34 AM

HOPE — Rather than wait for some level of government to step up, volunteers and businesses took matters into their own hands to contribute toward a two-day homeless camp cleanup effort along Silver Skagit Road south of Hope earlier this week.

Dusty Smith, who was instrumental in getting the effort of the ground, credited over a dozen businesses and multiple volunteers for their help in clearing out eyesores and environmental blight at several camps up the Skagit Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 8-9.

“Here is my huge thank you. We had some amazing companies and individuals come to the table,” Smith wrote on Facebook. “Not all the dust has settled as scrap and garbage fees need to be sorted out still, but that will come out next week.”

Image: Dusty Smith / A bobcat was utilized to help clear a homeless encampment along Silver Skagit Road south of Hope this past week.

Approximately 420 man hours were involved in the two-day cleanup effort. The entrance to the Skagit has been officially cleaned up, Smith said. The areas in which encampments were previously present have been blocked off and ditched, and routine patrols will occur to prevent the homeless camps from proliferating again, Smith said.

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Image: Dusty Smith / Cleanup work.

“We officially cleaned up the Skagit Entrance,” Smith said. This was an amazing team effort!!!”

The following entities and businesses contributed to the amazing cleanup effort:

• Hope RCMP
• Valley Waste and Recycling (garbage bins and tipping fees on some bins)
• Emil Anderson Maintenance (signs and tipping fees on some bins)
• Tuya Construction (dump truck, operator and dump fees)
• Mario’s Towing (deck truck with operator and helper)
• Valley Helicopters (truck and dump trailer with helpers)
• O.M.H. (excavator and helper)
• Jim Dent Construction (lowbed of excavator)
• Hope Pharmasave (gloves, needle bins, hand sanitizer)
• Kal Tire (taking all tires)
• Goodies Trading (scrap bins)
• Silver Skagit Scrap (bins, dump trailer)
• Silver Skagit Mechanical (equipment, helpers)
• Khronos Security (lunch both days)
• Hope Brigade Days (garbage cans, tents and tables)
• Hope Lions Club (bags and pickers)
• Talarico Excavating (equipment and operator)

“The final thank you goes to our amazing volunteers that helped manhandle all this mess,” Smith said. “They were the true heroes in all of this. What a great community coming together.”