volunteers

Volunteers gathered at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma to take part in a cleanup effort marking Public Lands Day, an annual event encouraging Americans to give back to public lands. Participants helped remove litter and maintain the refuge, which is home to bison, elk and other wildlife, drawing local attention to conservation.

Tennessee Volunteers football assistant coach William Inge has received what he described as positive news in his ongoing battle with a health issue. The university confirmed the update, prompting messages of support from fans and the college football community for the assistant coach.

The Atlanta Hawks, State Farm and thousands of volunteers are teaming up for the sixth Million Meal Pack initiative, an effort to fight food insecurity across Atlanta. The community event brings together players, staff and local residents to assemble meals for families in need, continuing a partnership-driven program that has become an annual tradition for the franchise and its sponsor.

Volunteers in Washington, DC took part in Ocean Conservancy's 2026 International Coastal Cleanup along the Anacostia River, joining a global effort to remove trash from waterways and shorelines. The annual event draws participants worldwide to collect and log litter, raising awareness of plastic pollution and its impact on rivers, oceans and wildlife.

A volunteer cleanup on the Anacostia River is being held this weekend, focused on removing litter before it can flow toward the ocean. Organizers also plan to collect data on the trash gathered, which will be shared with researchers studying pollution. The event highlights ongoing local efforts to restore one of the Washington, DC area's most polluted waterways.

In Honolulu, volunteers and conservation workers are stepping in after storms to help manu-o-Kū, the white terns that are the official bird of the city, return to their nests in trees. Chicks and eggs knocked down by high winds are being placed back safely, part of an ongoing community effort to protect the seabirds in urban Honolulu.