Keeping Community Clean and Green is Everyone’s Job
Keeping Community Clean and Green is Everyone’s Job
Matson Giving recently donated $5,000 to support Keep Oakland Beautiful’s mission of creating and sustaining a beautiful, clean, green, litter-free Oakland through education, community engagement, and volunteer action.
Keep Oakland Beautiful (KOB) is an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful (KAB), a national nonprofit organization encouraging citizens to take personal responsibility for improving their community environments.
KOB offers many ways for citizens to get involved, from community grants to help fund a project that keeps Oakland clean - similar to Matson’s Ka Ipu’ Aina and Adahi I Tano’ programs – to Daffodil Days, where free daffodil bulbs and native California wildflower seeds are provided for planting around Oakland for the enjoyment and beautification of the city.
KOB celebrates events like Earth Day and Clean California. They also recruit high school students for its Youth Advisory Committee, encouraging them Matson Ohana Steps Out to Clean Oakland Shore to become more involved in the mission of KOB and their community, and offering opportunity to gain exposure to the internal workings of a local nonprofit organization.
Matson’s donation went, in part, towards the creation of a large mural in honor of the 2024 Lunar New Year Dragon.
“In Chinese culture, the Dragon symbolizes strength, wisdom, and good fortune,” said Christina Porter, board chair of Keep Oakland Beautiful. “The Blue (Azure) Dragon is especially significant and is the guardian of the Eastern skies, commanding earth elements like water and weather, symbolizing renewal and regeneration. Murals transform communities, and Matson’s donation made an enduring impact in Oakland.”
Created by visionary public artist Hyde, the mural can be seen at 1745 International Blvd in Oakland.