In late 2021, SOAR was successful in securing grant funding from the Mel Wolfe Foundation for a new pilot project, Unstuck Chuck.
Unstuck Chuck is SOAR’s syringe pick-up and disposal crew that is implemented each month with the help and direction of peers from the community of Charleston.
The idea for Unstuck Chuck came as a response to syringe litter concerns that arose in the past few years. SOAR recognized that syringe litter is a valid, public health concern, and keeping our communities safe and clean should be a priority. We also wanted to gauge the magnitude of the problem – a major part of Unstuck Chuck is clear record keeping and regular reporting.
This is where Unstuck Chuck comes in – beginning in January 2022 – SOAR volunteers have met in different areas of Charleston, WV, and tackled multiple routes picking up discarded syringes and trash litter.
Since launching Unstuck Chuck, we have had three clean-up events, the first two events seeing over 30 participants, and have documented 32 syringes found across the three events. At the clean-up events, lunch is provided, in addition to naloxone, and participants receive compensation for their help in the clean-up.
In addition to the Unstuck Chuck project, SOAR has been tracking progress with other syringe disposal methods. SOAR has installed two sharps drop-off kiosks, one at the Women’s Health Center of West Virginia and another at the Living AIDS Memorial Garden.Since January 2022 there have been over 20,000 syringes disposed. Lastly, SOAR also provides a phone number that serves as the syringe hotline where community members can call/text tips about discarded syringes that need disposed of. With all of these disposal methods implemented by SOAR, we have begun to build an inclusive disposal strategy and are excited to share the following baseline data infographic to illustrate our progress in this strategy thus far in 2022.
Want to get involved with Unstuck Chuck?
Unstuck Chuck events occur on the last Saturday of every month, with the exception of holidays or inclement weather, in which case the clean-up is re-scheduled or canceled.
This month, Unstuck Chuck will take place on Saturday, May 28, 2022, at 1:00 p.m., in the empty lot on the corner of 4th Avenue and Patrick Street in Charleston, West Virginia. Anyone is welcome to show up and join us – you are free to simply observe, or you can participate in the clean-up or another task.
For those who haven’t attended a clean-up event yet – we all gather at a meeting point, participants are divided into groups, and each group is assigned their own route to clean-up. Each route is about 1 mile round-trip, and teams usually complete their clean-up in under an hour. Once everyone has returned to the meeting place, those in need of lunch and a stipend receive those, and we have a short de-briefing while we pack up. During the clean-up events, SOAR also provides free Naloxone to anyone that needs it, and also provides portable syringe disposal supplies.
Feel free to join us this weekend – or for any of the upcoming clean-up events – and have a fun time with friends.
