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urbancompassionproject

@urbancompassionproject

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Hauled 3,300 tons of waste 🚮 Linked 10K+ people to critical services 🏡 Saved 100+ animals 🐕 to date. 4,000 volunteers transforming the Bay🏋🏽‍♀️

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one year ago, we started the east 12th movement.

illegal dumping was out of control. the city wasn’t acting. so we did.

350,000+ pounds cleared. pressure that forced accountability. a community that kept showing up.

now? clean streets. trees planted. a space people can actually walk through again. by @urbancompassionproject

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6 months ago

what better way to show love than cleaning 10,000 pounds of illegal dumping on a holiday about love. #urbancompassionproject #valentinesday #oakland #transformation by @urbancompassionproject

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8 months ago

When we remember that we’re all part of one big community, incredible things can happen.

This past Saturday, 51 amazing volunteers came together with Urban Compassion Project to tackle one of many illegal dumping sites in West Oakland.

In just three hours, the team cleared 21 tons of garbage — filling three huge dumpsters — and transformed a stretch of Oakland’s streets from blight to beauty.

It’s inspiring to see what’s possible when people join forces for their neighborhoods.

Want to be part of the movement to keep Oakland clean and thriving? Sign up to volunteer with @urbancompassionproject and @thecityeats

Shoutout to @maximizevideo for the music, coffee, and for producing this video and @taqueriaaztecadublinca for the yummy burritos!

#goodpeople #makinggood #urbancompassionproject #thecityeats #oakland #transformation #communitycleanup #bayarea taken in West Oakland, Oakland, California by @urbancompassionproject

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a year ago

sometimes, when everything in the world feels so out of control and dismal, a sight like this makes our day so much better.

yesterday, while 30 of us cleaned up 8,000 pounds of trash, a man living in the encampment was paddling around the estuary with his big dog, little man, fishing while we worked. we kept catching glimpses of the two of them together, and their bond was just so sweet. at the end, they sat in their tiny canoe eating burritos together. 🥹

there’s a lot that’s hard about this work. the dumping keeps coming, and people are trying to survive in conditions that nobody should have to live in. we see so much that leaves us frustrated, sad, and wondering how things have gotten to this point. but we also get to know the people living here, meet their pets, share a meal, and witness little moments like this that stay with us long after a cleanup ends.

we’re grateful we got to spend part of our saturday here, cleaning up alongside people who care and making the area a little better for those who call it home.

and a huge thank you to the oakland high school and madison park high school students who joined us. seeing you spend your saturday showing up for your community gives us a bright light in the middle of everything. you’re already making a difference, and we’re excited to see what you’ll go on to do.

8,000 pounds removed, burritos shared, and a man and his little man reminding us how much love there still is around us. ❤️ by @urbancompassionproject

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9 hours ago

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6 days ago

this is just one cleanup, but since january 2025, 3,800 volunteers have joined us to remove 1,738,500 pounds of illegal dumping.

that’s what happens when you build a community of people who care enough to keep showing up, getting things done and filling the gaps the city leaves behind. by @urbancompassionproject

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8 days ago

even during a massive heatwave, nothing will stop this community from doing the right thing. taken in Oakland, California by @urbancompassionproject

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9 days ago

628 guests served, 3505 new clothing items and essentials, 2456 pounds of clothing and essentials. we’re a force within downtown oakland and we’re supporting the world! taken in Oakland, California by @urbancompassionproject

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10 days ago

and it’s remained clean…we are powerful. kudos to 67 UCP volunteers who are changing the Bay Area for good. and to our incredible partners @taqueriaaztecadublinca who feed our volunteers and homeless neighbors without fail… every single week. on their own dime. remarkable. by @urbancompassionproject

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10 days ago

yesterday, 67 of our volunteers cleared 18,000 pounds of trash. and the people who live closest to that dumping are still the ones who get blamed for it.

a lot of people living outside don’t even have a trash receptacle. they produce a little trash, have nowhere to put it, and then other people start dumping around them. the pile gets bigger, the whole area gets worse, and somehow they’re held responsible for all of it.

we can clean up 18,000 pounds in a day, but if the city keeps moving people around without giving them somewhere to go or even a way to dispose of their trash, we’ll be cleaning the same problem in another neighborhood. the people being displaced suffer, the surrounding community suffers, and the dumping continues. it’s a vicious cycle.

so where is the city’s funding going to support people experiencing homelessness and fight illegal dumping? we have no idea. we just know our volunteers keep showing up to do the work, and we need your support to keep going. by @urbancompassionproject

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14 days ago

we need your help keeping this community alive, and we need more people to know what it actually does.

honestly, we don’t do our impact enough justice when we talk about it. this video shows one cleanup on laney lot where 67 volunteers cleared 18,000 pounds of illegally dumped trash in three hours on a hot day. that took a lot of people busting their asses. but it’s also one piece of what happens at ucp.

between cleanups, weekly distributions, Compassion Threads, and the everyday work of supporting people in our community, we’re on the ground multiple times a day. we’re not an organization that holds one or two events and calls it a year. our volunteers keep showing up, often every other day, because the need is that constant.

and in doing this work, they’ve built a community of their own. people have found connection and purpose here while helping neighbors who are bearing the brunt of a widening wealth gap. that matters just as much as the before and after you see in this video.

there is endless capital in the Bay Area. it shouldn’t be this hard to sustain a community doing this much work, but it is. we need funding to keep our programs going and to support the people who make them possible.

please share this video, spread the word about ucp, and connect us with people who can help. we’re going to keep showing up. help us make sure we can. by @urbancompassionproject

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15 days ago

this bush was debbie’s home for over a year 😢

on september 19, six of us came together at very short notice to clean the area in west oakland where she had been living. debbie didn’t even sleep in a tent because she was afraid her belongings would be stolen. she endured grueling conditions in this tiny space while people consistently dumped trash around her.

debbie is such a sweet soul. she is incredibly intelligent, kind, and deserving, but life has not always gone her way. for the past year, we’ve been there to help clean her space and provide clothing, hygiene supplies, and whatever support we could.

then, on friday, we got to help move debbie into her new home. she was absolutely elated.

this is why we do what we do bc we don’t clean just to clean. we clean because illegal dumping directly affects people like debbie, who are already experiencing some of the hardest conditions imaginable. we clean to support people on the ground, restore dignity, and help create the foundation for something better.

debbie finally has a safe place to call home and a real chance at a new beginning. we could not be happier for her. #urbancompassionproject #oakland #transformation #bayarea # taken in Oakland, California by @urbancompassionproject

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