DRBC staff took a break from their normal duties centered around managing and protecting the shared interstate waters of the Delaware River Basin during August to offer assistance to area youth and an urban park.

Staff answered the call from The Salvation Army Trenton Citadel Corps to help children in Greater Mercer County be prepared to succeed in the classroom and reach their dreams by donating 25 backpacks and the school supplies needed to fill each backpack. The backpacks will be distributed at The Trenton Citadel Corps’ “Back to School Bash 2017” on Sept. 7 from 4 to 7 p.m. In the words of a Salvation Army representative, “We truly believe that events like these help us accomplish our mission to transforming lives.” The Salvation Army Trenton Citadel Corps serves the county where the DRBC office building is located.

Six DRBC staff volunteers also spent a morning helping the Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation (PPR) with a maintenance program for 75 recently planted trees in Pennypack on the Delaware. Located along the Delaware River, this is a parcel of the larger Pennypack Park, which is one of the city’s watershed parks. The trees were planted in November 2016 and require a three-year maintenance program of watering, mulching, and other related activities to ensure their survival. As described on the PPR’s web site, “Volunteers are essential to the health, cleanliness and vitality of the city’s parks.”