COLUMBIA FALLS — Cody Bauer, the owner of the vintage store Coyote, has officially launched the Coyote Clean-Up Club, where volunteers help pick up trash in downtown Columbia Falls the second Friday morning of each month.
"I wanted to find a way for everyone to volunteer and picking up trash just seemed like it would be really accessible to everyone, whether you are 70 or five," Bauer said.
Not only did Bauer want to help clean the community, but he also wanted to help bring it together.
"With how everyone is divided right now, I think it's so cool to just bring everyone together on a common goal. It doesn't matter what political party you're a part of, trash is bad," Bauer said.
Watch to learn more about the Coyote Clean-Up Club:
The club is gaining interest as over a dozen volunteers gathered at the shop on Friday morning, including Kelsey Holmes, who wants to keep downtown spotless.
"The businesses downtown are so vital to keeping Columbia Falls really vibrant, as well as just wanting to participate in the cleanup for the town in general," Holmes said.
The future is bright for the club as Bauer has already gotten a head start on expansion.
"Next month I have someone in Kalispell to lead, and the idea is I find a leader for every town and just once a month, all the main streets get cleaned up," Bauer said.
For right now, Bauer is appreciative of the volunteer response so far.
"I'm excited about the turnout even in this 20, 30 degree weather, but honestly, I woke up this morning just thinking if no one shows up, I'm still going to get on the streets and pick up some garbage," Bauer said.
To participate in the next clean up, meet at Coyote in Columbia Falls on the second Friday of each month at 9 a.m.
