Opportunities From: Volunteer McKinney

Join us to celebrate Make a Difference Day! 

Where: Rowlett Creek

When: Saturday, October 25th, 2025, 9 - 11 AM 

NEW DATE: Saturday, November 1st, 2025

What we will be doing: This event, in partnership with the McKinney Parks Foundation, will focus on community efforts to clean up along Wilson Creek and its tributaries. At this event, volunteers will remove litter from Rowlett Creek. We look forward to making a positive impact together!

Parking is available at Dr. Ogle Elementary School, located at 4200 Big Fork Trail, McKinney, TX 75070

Volunteers will meet at 9 AM behind the school, where the concrete walking path begins.

What to bring: Participants under the age 18 need to have a guardian or parent present. Bring bug spray, sunscreen, and water. If you bring your own tools, please have them marked with your name and contact information.  

What do I wear: Long pants, long sleeves, and closed-toed shoes or boots. Sunscreen and bug spray are recommended. Please dress appropriately for the weather. 

NO PUBLIC RESTROOMS are available on-site. The nearest public restroom is at ALDI.

Please arrive about 10 minutes early for a safety orientation and waiver sign-in. 

Volunteers can earn service hours for their school group, troop, or club. See a member of the McKinney Parks & Recreation or McKinney Environmental Services to have your volunteer forms signed at the event.

Litter Clean-Up Map Below.

There are other opportunities to volunteer. Please check out other Litter Clean Up projects or the Green Gardens Planting.

Join us to celebrate Make a Difference Day! 

Where: McKinney City Hall & Surrounding Roadsides

When: Saturday, October 25th, 2025, 11 AM – 1 PM

This event will take place rain or shine. However, for everyone’s safety, if thunder or lightning occurs at any time, we’ll need to end the event early.

What we will be doing: This event, in partnership with the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh & Sewa International, will focus on community efforts to clean up along Wilson Creek and its tributaries. At this event, volunteers will remove litter from surrounding roadsides. We look forward to making a positive impact together!

Parking is available at McKinney City Hall, located at 401 E Virginia St, McKinney, TX 75069 

Volunteers will meet at 11 AM at the McKinney City Hall courtyard.

What to bring: Participants under the age 18 need to have a guardian or parent present. Bring bug spray, sunscreen, and water. If you bring your own tools, please have them marked with your name and contact information.  

What do I wear: Long pants, long sleeves, and closed-toed shoes or boots. Sunscreen and bug spray are recommended. Please dress appropriately for the weather. 

NO PUBLIC RESTROOMS are available on-site. The nearest public restroom is at TUPPS Brewery. 

Please arrive about 10 minutes early for a safety orientation and waiver sign-in. 

Volunteers can earn service hours for their school group, troop, or club. See a member of the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh to have your volunteer forms signed at the event.

Litter Clean-Up Map Below.

There are other opportunities to volunteer. Please check out other Litter Clean Up projects or the Green Gardens Planting

Thursdays at the Green Gardens

Please join us on October 24th or November 1st for a large-scale planting!

November & December. Please contact Paulette Platko for updates.

9 - 11 a.m. | Green Gardens of McKinney at Gabe Nesbitt Park

Join us to tend to the McKinney Green Gardens leading up to the major planting on November 1st for Make a Difference Day. Volunteers should bring water and work gloves. Volunteers can bring extra tools to help with labor. Volunteers will pull weeds, spread mulch, and complete other tasks around the garden.
Location: Green Gardens of McKinney, 3339 Alma Rd, McKinney, TX 75070
What to Bring: Bring tools to work in the garden. Tools include wheelbarrows, clippers, hand shovels, shovels, rakes, gloves and water. Sunscreen and bug spray are recommended.
Parking: Directly across from the garden. Volunteers are not permitted to park next to the water tower or block access to the water tower.
Bathrooms: The nearest restrooms are within walking distance located at The Courts McKinney Pickleball and Tennis Center, 3253 Alma Rd, McKinney, TX 75070

This volunteer opportunity is hosted in partnership with the Blackland Prairie Texas Master Naturalists. Please contact Garden Lead Paulette Platko for questions: paulette.platko@gmail.com

Last Saturday Workdays

This is a special notice regarding October's Last Saturday Workday - please register through the Texas Conservation Alliance if you plan to work in the Garden on October 25th. Registering through this link will help ensure we have enough T-shirts!

At October's workday, we'll be planting hundreds of plants in the ground and mulch the beds in preparation for winter.

There are also workdays leading up to October's planting, Thursdays & the Friday before. Please join us to prep the beds for this massive planting if you're available.

Every Last Saturday | 9 - 11 a.m. | Green Gardens of McKinney at Gabe Nesbitt Park

Join us to tend to the McKinney Green Gardens. Volunteers should bring water and work gloves. Volunteers can bring extra tools to help with labor. Volunteers will pull weeds, spread mulch, and complete other tasks around the garden. This recurring workday will have many learning opportunities about native and drought-tolerant gardening, water conservation, and watershed protection.

Date: Every Last Saturday of the Month in 2025. Register to receive email updates!
Time: 9 am - 11 am
Location: Green Gardens of McKinney, 3339 Alma Rd, McKinney, TX 75070
What to Bring: Bring tools to work in the garden. Tools include wheelbarrows, clippers, hand shovels, shovels, rakes, gloves and water. Sunscreen and bug spray are recommended.
Parking: Directly across from the garden. Volunteers are not permitted to park next to the water tower or block access to the water tower.
Bathrooms: The nearest restrooms are within walking distance located at The Courts McKinney Pickleball and Tennis Center, 3253 Alma Rd, McKinney, TX 75070

Adopt-A-Spot

We need your help! Consider adopting a park, section of creek, green space, or road to pick up litter and help keep our community clean and healthy.

Adopt-A-Spot is a community-based program developed by Keep McKinney Beautiful and the Office 

of Environmental Sustainability. It gives individuals and groups a public way to show pride in their community and help keep it litter-free. 

Who can participate?

The program is free and open to all citizens. Minors must be accompanied by an adult. Volunteers who Adopt-A-Spot pledge to:

maintain their spot for one year or longer, agree to maintain the spot four times within the year, and send progress reports to the Office of Environmental Sustainability. How to get started Organize your volunteer group. Families, neighborhoods, HOAs, civic groups, Scouts, and business groups are eligible. Determine a spot to adopt. This can range from your neighborhood block to a right-of-way within the city. Be sure wherever your group adopts is age-appropriate for your party. Complete the Adopt-A-Spot: New Submission Request Once approved, schedule your tool and volunteer waiver pick-up by emailing the Office of Environmental Sustainability. Tools and completed volunteer waivers are to be returned within one week of the clean-up event. Where can be adopted? Any spot within the city limits of McKinney that is not currently being maintained may be adopted, with special attention to those places that appear neglected. A vacant lot, city medians, and right-of-ways are possible candidates. Some spots may require litter pick up to be maintained, others may require weeding and/or grass maintenance, as well as litter pick up. Our Adopt-A-Spot coordinator can help you choose a location that best suits you and your group. You can use the Trash Free Texas Interactive Map or send an inquiry with the specific location in mind.

NOTE: TxDot roadways such as 380,  75, and 5 cannot be adopted through this program.

Why Adopt-A-Spot?

Litter is the biggest source of pollution for our local waterways. Keeping our streams clean means that we live in a healthier community and enjoy a higher quality of life.

Being an Adopter gives participants an opportunity to give back to the community, teach their children about community responsibility, receive positive publicity for their business, and gain valuable community volunteer experience.

After the clean-up Submit a Wrap-Up Report after the cleanup event Email us photos and post them on your social media. Be sure to tag #KeepMcKinneyBeautiful #UniquebyNature

Adopt-A-Spot applies only to city property, however, we are willing to work with HOAs to coordinate cleanups in their communities.

Resources Before the Clean-Up During the Clean-Up Clean-Up Checklist DMWT Activity Book Not interested in adopting a spot, but still want to participate in a clean-up? 

For one-time clean-up events, we have a lending system for tools. Email Green@McKinneyTexas.org for more information.

All areas within City Limits are eligible to report Wrap-Up Reports to report their community effort in Cleanups around the City.