Love Your Block: Voluntourism

Love Your Block is a City of Boston volunteer program, run by the Office of Civic Organizing, that brings residents together to clean up and beautify their neighborhoods. Every spring, people from neighborhoods across the city pitch in on parks, gardens, streets, schools and other public spaces. For visitors and locals interested in voluntourism, it offers a hands-on way to meet neighbors, spend time outdoors and see the results of collective work.

Groups choose a location and a project type, such as a sidewalk and street cleanup or flower planting and mulching, then recruit volunteers and name a group leader. The city provides tools and support for safe cleanups and coordinates trash pickup afterward. Organizers are encouraged to plan at least a month ahead and set a rain date, and residents, local businesses and organizations can all take part.

What to Know

• The program was formerly known as Boston Shines.
• The Office of Civic Organizing does not supply flowers or mulch for planting projects.
• Hosting a neighborhood meeting is suggested for dividing up responsibilities before a cleanup.
• The city’s website now presents the effort as the Boston Neighborhood Clean-Up Initiative.