Riverfront Clean-Up

Gateway Arch National Park

Date/Time: Sunday, April 5, 9 a.m.–noon.

Location: 50 S Leonor K Sullivan Blvd, St. Louis. Parking instructions will be provided in the email reminder 1 day before the event. In the case of inclement weather, we will notify you of an alternative date by the morning of Friday, April 4th

Ages: Families are welcome to participate. Volunteers between 5 and 15 years old are welcome to volunteer as long as they are accompanied by a parent/guardian. Volunteers who are 16 or 17 years old are welcome to join independently, but they need signed permission from their parent/guardian, which can be printed and signed ahead of time using the attached document.

Time Commitment: Three hours.

In the Mississippi River Plastic Pollution Initiative 2021 Science Report, approximately 28,540 litter items were logged in St. Louis, with 74% of that being plastic. This has a huge impact on our waterways, community, and region, so let’s team up at the Gateway Arch National Park Riverfront to clean up our Mighty Mississippi River!

Gateway Arch National Park, Gateway Arch Park Foundation, Beyond Plastics, Republic Services, Missouri River Cities and Towns Initiative, Missouri Stream Team, Great Rivers Greenway, Bi-State Development, Living Lands & Waters, St. Louis Aquarium Foundation, and the City of St. Louis have partnered to organize a community trash pick-up event during National Park Week. Recruit your friends and family members and join us to lend a helping hand and clean up the riverfront! Please dress for the appropriate weather and wear closed-toe shoes.

Contact: Grace Teofilo, grace.teofilo@archpark.org. Registration is available online.

https://www.archpark.org/.

Celebrate Good Deeds Day with Little Free Library

Little Free Library

Date/Time: Sunday, April 6.

Location: Anywhere where there are Little Free Libraries. Use our world map to find a location near you.

Ages: All ages. This is a great activity for family and friends to do together.

Time Commitment: Flexible. Share one book, or share many!

Everyone can do something good, large or small, to improve the lives of others. Celebrate Good Deeds Day by sharing a book and a kind note in a Little Free Library near you! You’ll join a global day of doing good that unites people from over 100 countries in doing good deeds. It’s easy to participate:

• Register online.
• Find a Little Free Library near you.
• Choose a book to put in the Little Free Library.
• Write a kind note to the future reader and put it inside the book.
• Leave the book in the Little Free Library on April 6 and take a photo.
• After you’re done, let us know how it went, and share your pictures.

Contact: volunteer@littlefreelibrary.org. Click here to register.

littlefreelibrary.org

Confluence Trash Bash

Open Space STL

Date/Time: Saturday, April 12. Shift times are in the morning.

Location: Various locations within the Missouri and Mississippi River Confluence area. Volunteers can choose from over a dozen cleanup locations and storm drain marking sites within the watershed. 

Ages: There are opportunities for families with children of all ages. Please choose a site appropriate for your family members' ages and physical abilities.

Time Commitment: Varies, between two and three hours.

We provide volunteers with work gloves and trash bags for their cleanups. The event is free. Volunteers pre-register and complete a liability waiver to receive their free t-shirt, select a cleanup site, and help event organizers coordinate supplies. Upon registering, volunteers receive confirmation emails regarding collecting trash and where to place garbage once it is collected. We can remove tons of trash, create a better habitat for wildlife, and protect our waterways from pollution so that everyone can enjoy the benefit of clean water! All guided cleanup opportunities have a site supervisor present to provide volunteers with supplies, sign-in participants, and lead them through the cleanup of the chosen site. The event is free, and all volunteers will be provided with work gloves and trash bags to use for the cleanups. Participants will receive a free t-shirt while supplies last. Volunteers are also invited to a thank you celebration with free food, drinks, and activities for the whole family at the Audubon Center at Riverlands! Alongside the picnic, we have Passport to Clean Water, our educational event. Right now we have 10+ vendors, including The Earthways Center, The Audubon Center, Bring Conservation Home, Wild Ones, The STL Aquarium, and the national organization Leave No Trace.

Contact: volunteer@openspacestl.org, 314.835.9225. Registration is available online. Click here, select an opportunity, and follow the registration instructions.

https://openspacestl.org

Race for Refugees – Runners, Walkers and Cheer Squad Volunteers

International Institute of St. Louis

Date/Time: Saturday, April 19, 9 a.m. The Cheer Squad volunteer shift is from 8:30–10:30 a.m.

Location: Tower Grove Park, Sons of Rest Pavilion, 3619 Southeast Drive, St. Louis.

Ages: Everyone is welcome to participate.

Time Commitment: Varies. 

The International Institute of St. Louis is our community’s immigrant service and information hub. Our programs and services for immigrants, their families, and the wider community are locally and nationally acclaimed. We connect new arrivals with first-touch services and resources, engage foreign-born and the wider community, and build a more inclusive community. Join the International Institute of St. Louis for the 7th Annual Race for Refugees 5K and a one-mile fun run. Since 2017, R4R has built a vibrant native and foreign-born community that advocate for, stands in solidarity with, and supports refugees and immigrants. Since their inaugural event, they have raised over $30,000 for the local refugee and immigrant community. Families, strollers, and dogs are welcome. Run or walk with your family, or volunteer as a member of the Cheer Squad. 

Contact: Click here to register for the event or here to volunteer.

https://www.iistl.org

Purplestride St Louis 2025

PurpleStride PanCAN

Date/Time: Saturday, April 26.

• Event Village opens at 8 a.m.
• Opening Ceremony is at 9 a.m.
• The walk begins at 9:30 a.m.
• The event concludes at 11:30 a.m. 

Location: Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park, St. Louis. Parking will be available in the primary lot at the north end of Creve Coeur Lake (13725 Marine Ave, St. Louis, MO 63043) near Tremayne Shelter. Once the lot is full, Park Rangers will guide participants to nearby grass parking.

Ages: Everyone can participate.

Time Commitment: Varies.

Join us for PanCAN PurpleStride 2025, happening Saturday, April 26, 2025, at nearly 60 events across the country! PurpleStride is the ultimate walk to end pancreatic cancer. It’s a family-friendly day filled with fun, hope, and the power of community. PurpleStride is an amazing day where survivors, families, caregivers, friends, physicians, and researchers celebrate people currently affected, honor those we’ve lost, and take steps to end pancreatic cancer. Learn more here.

Contact: Christy Sexton, csexton@pancan.org. Register online here. 

https://pancan.org

St. Louis Metro Area Spring Games

Special Olympics Missouri

Date/Time: Saturday, May 3, 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

Location: Westminster Christian Academy, 800 Maryville Centre Dr., Town & Country.

Ages: Families are welcome to volunteer together. We ask that if you are bringing someone under the age of 16 that they are paired up with an adult from your group.

Time Commitment: Varies depending on activity.

The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community. Athletes from all counties in and around St. Louis will gather on this day to compete, and socialize with their friends. Volunteer positions are available to check in coaches and volunteers, score and time track and swim stations, help award medals, one-on-one "Buddy" escorts for each athlete, or set up and break down for the day. Over 500 volunteer positions are available and Special Olympics couldn't put on this event without your help and community support!

Contact: Jocelyn Diehl, diehl@somo.org or 314.961.7755. Registration is available online. Scroll down to select the opportunity you are interested in and click through to follow the registration instructions.

https://somo.org

Best Buddies Friendship Walk: Missouri

Best Buddies

Date/Time: Saturday, May 4

• Check-in: 1 p.m.
• Opening Ceremonies: 2 p.m.
• Walk: 2:30 p.m.
• Celebrate: Until 4 p.m.

Location: Kirkwood Park, 111 S Geyer Rd, Kirkwood.

Ages: Everyone is encouraged to participate.

Time Commitment: Up to four hours.

Join more than 50,000 participants at 80 events across the globe to support the Best Buddies programs in schools, workplaces, and communities. You’ll be making the world more welcoming to people with IDD — one friendship, one job, and one life-changing connection at a time. Help raise awareness and funds for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in our community. You’ll be making the world more welcoming to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities one friendship, one job, and one life-changing connection at a time. Consider inviting your family members, friends, and neighbors to join you! There isn’t a cost associated with sign-up; however, donations are welcomed. Learn more here.

Contact: TimBommarito@bestbuddies.org. Registration is available online.

https://www.bestbuddies.org/

Make a Meal

Lasagna Love

Date/Time: Ongoing opportunity.

Location: Varies.

Ages: Families with children of all ages are encouraged to participate.

Time Commitment: Varies.

Lasagna Love is a global, grassroots movement with thousands of people all cooking and delivering meals to neighbors in their communities. What we do is simple: feed families, spread kindness, and strengthen communities. Our mission is not only to help address the incredible rise in food insecurity among families but also to provide a simple act of love and kindness during a time full of uncertainty and stress. How does the process work? After answering a few simple questions on the website (including how far you are able to drive), you are ready to be matched with a family in need. Once matched, volunteers communicate directly with their matched family to set up a drop-off date/time. When these details are set, volunteers purchase ingredients and make the meal. When the time comes for delivery, meals are dropped off on the porch/doorstep to ensure a safe and contactless delivery. If you prefer not to cook, you may also donate lasagna ingredients to local Lasagna Love volunteers. You can also help Lasagna Love spread the love by nominating a friend or family who may need a home-cooked meal.

Contact: info@lasagnalove.org with any additional questions. Check here to see if Lasagna Love is currently in your neighborhood.

lasagnalove.org

Go Camo Care Package Collection

Soldier’s Angels

Date/Time: Soldiers’ Angels now sends care packages all year, which means you can participate in hosting or supporting Go Camo at any time!

Location: If you’re collecting items or purchasing items locally, once you have completed the Intent to Donate Form, you can ship all of your items to our headquarters in San Antonio.

Ship your collected items to:

Soldiers’ Angels Go Camo

2895 NE Loop 410, Suite 107

San Antonio, Texas 78218

Ages: Everyone can participate.

Time Commitment: Varies.

The mission of Soldiers’ Angels is to provide aid, comfort, and resources to the military, veterans, and their families. The Go Camo Care Package Collection helps Soldiers’ Angels collect the top-requested care package items throughout the year as well as financial donations to help offset the cost of shipping the care packages! Soldiers’ Angels sends thousands of care packages to deployed individuals every year. Your family can help by collecting and donating items for care packages including hygiene and personal care items, snack care items, and downtime items. Click here and scroll down for the complete list of items needed.

Contact: inkind@soldiersangels.org.

https://soldiersangels.org/