Adopt-a-Park | City of Hamilton

Great parks make great neighbourhoods!

The concept of a group of individuals coming together to become the caretakers of their park is what defines an Adopt-a-Park group. Adopt-a-Park groups consist of volunteers from businesses, service groups, schools and neighbourhood associations. These groups help to maintain their park by undertaking litter clean-ups, planting and weeding gardens, and reporting vandalism and graffiti. Some groups who have their Food Handler Certification will hold community barbecues and events in their parks to encourage community engagement. Working with City staff, these volunteers help to improve park amenities and create clean and safe parks.

Volunteer commitment to local neighbourhoods is crucial in keeping our green spaces clean, safe and beautiful. A beautiful and vibrant neighbourhood park or green space attracts users and volunteers, increasing pride in the surrounding area.

Participating Adopt-a-Park groups receive an Adopt-a-Park sign with the group’s name or logo; in recognition of the group’s efforts.

Benefits of well-kept parks and public green spaces include:

Boost to urban economy
Natural beauty and neighbourhood gathering places
Provides positive impression; appeals and attracts residents and visitors
“Green infrastructure” that improves our local environment
Prevents flooding and improves quality of water
Cleaner air from trees; releasing oxygen and absorbing pollutants
Natural habitat for animals and birds
Play space for children
Promotes physical activity and better health for all

Being part of an Adopt-a-Park program provides volunteers with an opportunity to:

Keep your local park clean and green
Work together with neighbours, community members and colleagues to foster community building
Meet new people
Be a good neighbour
In recognition of your group’s hard work, we will install an Adopt-a-Park sign recognizing your efforts to help keep Hamilton clean and green

Adopt-a-park

Program Details

How it works

Responsibilities

Safety Information

Adopt-a-Park Tool Box

The Adopt-a-Park Program is a year-round program for volunteers to help maintain and care for trees, flowers and shrub beds in their local parks and dog parks, green spaces, woodlots and trails. The goal of the Adopt-a-Park program is to engage volunteers and community groups in creating and preserving green spaces and safe parks for everyone. Volunteer cleanup efforts create great parks and great parks make great neighbourhoods!

Collage of teams who have adopted a park, Group of kids holding shovels, Group of kids holding posters in a park

Adopt-a-Park groups sign up and agree to care for a park or green space for three years. The group must host litter clean ups, add woodchips or mulch for trees, remove or report graffiti and weed shrub beds at least four times each year.

Fill out the application form at www.hamilton.ca/adoptapark. The City will contact you to complete the process of adopting a green space.

Requests are processed on a first come, first served basis. If more than one group requests the same park at the same time, a lottery will be held to choose which group will adopt the park. Sometimes depending on the size of the park, more than one group can adopt the same park. The City of Hamilton makes the final decision to allow a group to adopt a park / green space.

Adopt-a-Park groups do a lot of things to keep their park looking beautiful such as:

Pick up litter
Rake leaves
Report and/or remove graffiti
Report hazards

Sweep walkways and paved areas
Pull weeds
Keep shrubs and gardens maintained
Woodchip trees and shrub beds

The City will:

Provide regular maintenance in all City parks and green spaces
Help you choose a park or green space and determine needed improvements
Provide support to Adopt-a-Park groups when needed, including volunteer support, networking, troubleshooting and safety training
Refer you to small grants and community partners
Receive and review inquiries and incident reports
Provide the tools you’ll need for a successful clean-up (litter & recycling bags, gloves, yard waste bags and safety information)
Pick up garbage, recycling, and yard waste if needed

Adopt-a-Park Training

Groups are provided with annual training information. This will include new program information, safety updates and some great resources.

Groups should participate in a minimum of four clean-up and beautification activities per year.

It is important that all Adopt-a-park volunteers have read the safety information and understand what to do if they come across any hazardous items.

Safety tips

Visit the cleanup location before your cleanup date to look for possible hazards.
Arrange for adult supervision if you have youth volunteers.
Have young volunteers ask an adult first if they are unsure about picking up a piece of litter.
Make sure volunteers are safe during the event.
Wear a safety vest or bright clothing so volunteers can find you easily in an emergency.
Have all volunteers work in pairs or small groups.
Ensure all volunteers wear work gloves and closed toe shoes.
Use tools and equipment safely and as intended to avoid injury.
Remind volunteers to wash hands before eating and at the end of the day.
Keep sunscreen and insect repellent on hand.
Make sure all volunteers drink water and keep hydrated.
Ensure volunteers take breaks and do not over-exert themselves during the community clean-up.
If you experience any injuries or illnesses during the clean-up, seek medical attention immediately.
Suspend the cleanup during bad weather (fog, thunder and lightening)

Hazardous items

Do not allow volunteers to pick up anything that could be hazardous to their health. This includes:

hypodermic needles
syringes
jagged glass or other sharp objects
animal carcasses
urine bottles
heavy objects
air brakes

If you come across any hazardous items, flag them and call 905-546-2489.

The Adopt-a-Park Tool Box is created to offer some of the resources that you require. If you require copies, feel free to print from the pdf in the tool box.

Volunteer Manual

Learn about volunteer responsibilities, health & safety information, what you need before you being your clean up and important contact information and resources.

Found a needle, now what?

If you find a needle on Public property including sidewalks, streets, boulevards, parks, trails or facilities, contact the City of Hamilton, Customer Contact Centre, 905-546-2489 and report it.

Planning an Event?

If you’re planning an Event in addition to your clean up, you must register with our Recreation Facilities Division, they will determine availability and whether a Community S.E.A.T. Application is required. Generally, an Event is defined as 15 people or more and anything outside of the scope of an Adopt a Park clean up:

BBQ
Fundraiser
Holiday Celebration
Park Makeover
Community Meeting

Register your Event with Recreation Facility Rentals

If serving food, please ensure that you’re following Public Health Guidelines and that one of your representatives has a validated Food Handlers Certificate.

Food Handler Requirements and Training(PDF, 385.54 KB)

Adopt-a-Park Application

Contact Information

Name

Email

Phone

Address

City/Town

Postal Code

Alternate Contact

Name

Email

Phone

Preferred Park Locations

Enter 3 parks as your preferred locations

Group Information

Name of Group/Organization

Please indicate the size of your group

1-5

6-20

21-50

55+

What does your group/organization want to do at this park to improve and/or maintain it?

Notice of Collection

The City of Hamilton collects information under authority of Section 227 of the Municipal Act, 2001. Any personal information collected through the volunteer agreement form for the Hamilton Adopt A Park Program will be used for communicating volunteer clean ups and training information. By providing your email address, you are consenting to receiving emails from the City of Hamilton and/or their agents/contractors for purposes related to this program. Information collected for this initiative may be stored on servers located in Canada and the United States and may be subject to Canadian and/or American laws.

Questions about the collection of this personal information can be directed to Community Liaison Coordinator, Public Works Department, 71 Main St W, Hamilton Ontario 905-546-2489 and [email protected]

Date modified

November 28, 2023