Monday, May 12, 2025
For the seventh consecutive year, Long Beach’s sanitation workers were honored on April 4 with a special Sanitation Appreciation Day, featuring a small spread of food. This annual tradition shines a light on a group that often works behind the scenes, providing vital services to the community.
Resident Barbara Horn created the appreciation day in 2018, inspired by her experience volunteering at St. Paul’s Chapel in Manhattan following the 9/11 attacks. During that time, she developed an admiration for the sanitation workers who tirelessly supported recovery efforts by transporting debris, offering help and showing commitment in the face of crisis.
“It was the same group because it’s much smaller,” Horn said of the sanitation department during the post-9/11 attacks. “The fire and police were wonderful, but their groups just kept on changing, because there’s lots of them, but sanitation was the same and I fell in love with them. I told them that they were the unsung heroes of 9/11.”
That experience stayed with her, and after moving to Long Beach in 2017, she recognized the same kind of quiet dedication among the local sanitation crews.
The event has since become a partnership with St. James of Jerusalem Episcopal Church and New Life Church of Christ, who began sponsoring it in 2019, a year after its inception. Held at the Long Beach Sanitation Department, it now features a spread of food and drinks provided by the two congregations. This year, the event was made possible under the leadership of Rev. Michael F. Delany and Bishop Mark A. Moses, with about 40 sanitation workers stopping by throughout the day.
“They do their job with dedication,” Horn said. “They’re hard workers, and they know that’s required, and they do it willingly, diligently. It’s a hard job, and they do it happily. So, I’m kind of always inspired, I don’t know if I could be picking up cans of garbage every day and throwing them into a truck six, eight hours a day. That’s a big job, they know that the city needs it, and they do it well.”
Horn also drew inspiration from the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was advocating for sanitation workers in Memphis at the time of his assassination. The fiftieth anniversary of his death in 2018 catalyzed the launching of the first Sanitation Appreciation Day—and his legacy continues to be a meaningful part of the event’s purpose today.
Alongside the food, workers received index cards featuring quotes attributed to King. Displays also included images of King, along with messages highlighting his values and the significance of the day’s tribute.
Although this year’s turnout was slightly lower—partly due to retirements and shifts ending earlier in the week—Horn says the impact of the day remains strong. The event offers something many sanitation workers don’t often receive: public recognition for their labor.
Horn believes the essential nature of their work is often overlooked simply because of when and how it’s done. Crews usually come through neighborhoods early in the morning or during work and school hours, making it easy for residents to miss them entirely.
“People don’t necessarily interact with them like you do the police, the firefighters, teachers, they may come and go and you never see them or rarely see them,” Horn said. “So, I think visibility is one issue and when they come, it’s very quick, it’s a brief thing. People are probably pleasant to them, but I don’t know if they really know that they keep our city functioning and functioning well.”
Through the appreciation day, Horn hopes to bridge that visibility gap. She has come to know many of the workers by name—and even by their cookie preferences—and says the event is a small but meaningful way to express gratitude.
While the event remains modest in scale, it serves as a gesture of appreciation for the essential work sanitation employees perform throughout the year.
