Mayor Sheffield, community groups and business partners launch recruitment drive for 2026 Motor City Makeover

• Citywide cleanup and beautification effort set for three Saturdays in May
• New: City puts out call to artists age 14-24 to submit their designs for this year's official Motor City Makeover T-shirt
• Program includes community tool libraries and distribution of 600 trees, 90,000 flowers and vegetable plants

Spring has sprung and the City of Detroit kicked off recruitment for Motor City Makeover for Detroit residents and organizations, led by Mayor Mary Sheffield and a coalition of city, community and business supporters.

The Mayor joined with the Department of Neighborhoods, community and business partners at a news conference today at the Northwest Activities Center in northwest Detroit to encourage residents and businesses to participate in the annual effort, with beautification remaining central to the program.

This year, the City will distribute 600 trees, 90,000 flowers and numerous vegetable plants and seed packets, all free, to groups registered for Motor City Makeover.

The City is calling on residents, community organizations, business owners and students to join the effort taking place three Saturdays in May. Residents must register in order to get a limited supply of bags and gloves, flowers and trees at motorcitymakeover.org.

Mayor Sheffield also announced that this year's Makeover will have a new feature - calling on the city's young people to create event t-shirt designs - expanding the annual cleanup and beautification effort.

"Motor City Makeover is a great spring tradition that brings the entire community together for several days of neighborhood cleanup and beautification," Mayor Sheffield said. "My office is proud to coordinate this event and to support the hard work of residents because we are all partners in this work. And because we have such talented youth in Detroit, we wanted to provide them a new way to leave their mark on this year's campaign."

Each year, more than 600 groups volunteer for Motor City Makeover. So far, individuals and groups have registered 125 individual cleanup projects.

Cleaning will take place by districts on:

• May 2 - Districts 1, 2 and 3
• May 16 - Districts 4 and 5
• May 30 - Districts 6 and 7

Volunteers can sign up now at motorcitymakeover.org or by calling (313) 224-4415.

YOUTH T-SHIRT DESIGN CONTEST
New this year, the City is seeking teens/young adults (ages 14 - 24) to create impactful design/artwork promoting the message: Keep Detroit Clean. The winning design will be printed on T-shirts for distribution to volunteers at Motor City Makeover events. The deadline for submissions is April 22. Learn more at motorcitymakeover.org.

SPONSORS AND DONORS
The Motor City Makeover effort is made possible through donations from area businesses and organizations. This year's top sponsor is Bedrock with a $7500 financial donation. Major Contracting is the top in-kind sponsor.

"Motor City Makeover is an impactful citywide initiative that reflects the pride and resilience of Detroit's neighborhoods," said Carrie Comensky, Director of Strategic Community Partnerships at Bedrock. "Mayor Sheffield's program invites opportunities for both beautification and participation for residents, as well the many volunteers. The clean-up days are a highlight for Bedrock team members every year."

Any organization or company that would like to donate to Motor City Makeover should call (313) 224-3400.

2025 MCM BY THE NUMBERS

• Number of Projects - More than 700
• Debris Collected - 472.6 tons
• Number of Flowers Distributed - 90,000 flowers (roughly more than 2000 flats)
• Number of Trees Distributed - 500

MOTOR CITY MAKEOVER REMINDERS
Individuals and community groups must register with the City of Detroit Department of Neighborhoods (DON) in order to receive a limited supply of bags, gloves, flowers and trees, as well as information regarding special pickups of brush, tires, bagged litter and roll-off containers. Debris will only be collected from pre-established locations.

Individuals and groups are encouraged to:

• Register online at motorcitymakeover.org or call (313) 224-4415 to join the effort.
• Clean around their neighborhood, business, house of worship, or school on their designated Saturday.
• Organize their neighbors, members or employees for a massive cleanup or to board up vacant homes. Volunteers can indicate where they will clean or do board-ups when registering or call (313) 224-4415 for a location.
• Beautify their area by planting flowers, plants, or trees, or by removing graffiti, etc.

TOOL LIBRARIES
Residents can utilize tool libraries at four locations to borrow tools for cleanup and beautification efforts. Block clubs and organizations registered with the City of Detroit can borrow the tools for free. The locations are:

• Bailey Park Neighborhood Development Corporation, 2617 Jos. Campau
• Warren Tool Library, 15631 E. Warren
• Premier Group Associates, 2221 Bellevue
• Detroit ToolBank 575 E. Milwaukee Ave.

BULK DROP-OFF LOCATIONS
In addition, volunteers may take bagged litter to any of the drop-off locations listed below, which will be open on the Saturday cleanup dates. The limit is two cubic yards or 1,000 pounds. No renovation materials or debris accepted at Davison and Southfield yards.

Davison Yard - 8221 West Davison, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Southfield Yard - 12255 Southfield Road, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Fons Transfer Station - 6451 E. McNichols, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Renovation materials accepted for a fee.

In addition to the citywide cleanup during May, the City will focus on:

Summer/Fall - Cleanup Efforts with Community Groups The City will provide bags and gloves and arrange for pickup of debris for groups with cleanup projects outside of May.

Ongoing - Promoting Recycling The Department of Public Works will provide a free recycling container to residents who attend a recycling workshop or take the recycling quiz on the City's Web site at detroitrecycles.org.

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