Sight of blight stirs this uncommon response from Modesto woman | Opinion
Who among us hasn’t seen a stretch of road littered with trash and said to ourselves, “Someone should do something about that”?
It happened recently to Jennifer Ringer. The difference between her and just about everyone else is she actually did do something.
Bothered on a Saturday by gobs of debris at Modesto’s Oakdale Road and Scenic Drive, Ringer on Sunday morning armed herself with garden gloves and a couple of large trash bags. Among the litter were two other empty bags, so she filled them as well. Ninety minutes later, the corner had gone from blight to delight.
“I like leaving a place better than I found it,” Ringer told me after her sister, Julie Scherer, outed her on Instagram, and tipped me off. Much of the refuse was discarded fast food wrappers and containers, Ringer said.
There are many do-gooders out there. I do not write about most. Maybe this one resonated with me because during the COVID-19 pandemic, my wife, our daughter, her husband and I spent a morning with several others in a Love Modesto work crew picking up garbage along Briggsmore Avenue. Another year, I helped clean up a Highway 99 interchange with Love Salida.
Roadway trash removal in a group fueled by doughnuts and a community pep rally is hard enough. In truth, it can be downright nasty.
Taking that on by your lonesome takes uncommon resolve.
Ringer, 34, was born and raised in Modesto, graduating from Johansen High in 2007. She splits time between here and Santa Barbara. And she often grabs a bag before heading out on a walk.
I’m not going out on a limb here in saying that most of us are content to leave such work to probation crews, or government workers, or nonprofit organizations. We might tell ourselves, when we see unsightly sights, that the next Love Modesto must be just around the corner, even if it’s not.
“I’m sure they have many other responsibilities,” Ringer said. “But I feel we’re all a part of our community, so we can step in to help even if we’re not told to or obligated to do so.”
I like that spirit.
And who knows? Ringer’s example might inspire copycat efforts, if someone saw her out there the morning of June 25. Or if they read about it in The Bee.
