Portland Parks & Recreation, Partners Honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,

(Portland, Oregon) -

Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) is partnering with SOLVE and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) on the Show Your Park Some Love initiative, made possible with support from Niagara Cares. Events are taking place from now through Earth Day, and we welcome you to sign up.

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, nearly 400 volunteers spread out across Northeast Portland's Irving Park to remove litter and recyclables from the historic Albina neighborhood, helping keep the area welcoming while preventing waste from entering local waterways.

Across the region, more than 800 volunteers participated in six Martin Luther King Jr. Day service projects, collectively removing over 6,000 pounds of trash and completing hands-on work that included litter cleanup, invasive species removal, mulching, planting native vegetation, and trail maintenance. Neighbors gathered in parks, school grounds, downtown districts, and natural areas to care for the places they call home, honoring Dr. King's legacy through service.

About SOLVE

SOLVE's Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2026 events were presented by Kaiser Permanente and supported by Swire Coca-Cola, the National Recreation and Park Association, Love Your Happy Place, and Portland Parks & Recreation. These projects were part of SOLVE's broader effort to support year-round community-led service opportunities across Oregon and Southwest Washington.

SOLVE brings communities together to take care of our environment and enhance our waterways. Since 1969, the organization has grown from a small, grassroots initiative to a national model of volunteer action. Today, SOLVE mobilizes and trains thousands of volunteers of all ages across Oregon, and SW Washington, to clean and restore our neighborhoods and natural areas, while empowering a community of environmental stewards for our state. For more information about SOLVE's volunteer opportunities, visit solve.org.

###