BALTIMORE — Most people, when walking around Patterson Park or anywhere in charm city, many would agree seeing all the trash on the street and in parks isn't so charming.
This is why one local man in Canton and his two-year-old son are hoping to make a difference with one trash bag at a time.
Graham Peck has lived in the Canton area for over ten years. During covid, Peck noticed the uptick in garbage piling up in parks, neighborhood sidewalks, and streets. Peck says the trash was truly taking the charm away from charm city, so he decided to do something about it.
"I got married and wanted to raise a family here. So, I started taking a little bit more sense of pride in my community. So, it started off with just picking up a piece here or there after a run or something. Then in 2021 I decided I wanted to start picking up the 100 bags a year, and then after a month or two of that I decided that was too easy so I stepped it up to 365 bags a year," said Peck.
From empty bottles to COVID-19 masks, and even a few dead rats, Peck didn't hesitate to clean it all up in hopes of making a small difference to better Baltimore, and he did so with a small sidekick.
"His first word was trash. He enjoys helping.
Peck's two-year-old son Teddy was right behind him mimicking the cleanup. It became fun for the toddler, and although he's young, his father explained to him he's helping the community and Teddy seems to always smile.
"He hopped right in without me asking him to do anything before he could really understand words. He would feel good about putting a piece of trash in dada’s bag, so it became fun for us to help the community," said Peck.
Peck says it doesn’t take much to help the city, something as little as picking up a gum wrapper can go a long way. Additionally, he wants kids to know they're never too young to take care of their neighborhood. With one trash can at a time, anyone can make a difference.
