Paramount Community Day: WJZ teams up with Salvation Army for Baltimore neighborhood clean-up

BALTIMORE -- For 27 years, Paramount Community Day has stood as a testament to the company's commitment to its people and its communities. 

With the theme "Together for Good," WJZ went to West Baltimore to help the Salvation Army clean up a neighborhood in need. 

WJZ cleaned the area around the old Pinderhughes Elementary School in Sandtown-Winchester in West Baltimore.

"We're picking up a lot of caps and needles, a lot of trash, a lot of debris," said WJZ news director, Tanya Black. "Just trying to really clean it up and make this place respectable and great for the community and the residents who live here." 

The neighborhood, marked by the hardships of poverty and substance abuse, is now the focus of the Salvation Army's future plans.

"We know we want to be in this area, and we want to make sure that we're able to help out the people who live in this neighborhood," said Lt Schelika Chisolm of the Salvation Army.

The organization is planning to move its headquarters into the old Pinderhughes building. 

Deletha Fields, a representative of the Salvation Army, envisions it as a safe place for the kids to come after school, and a shared location for worship and other activities. 

WJZ staff worked hand-in-hand with volunteers, filling up garbage bags and giving the area some much-needed tender loving care.

"We want a clean community, and a clean community starts with picking up," said 9-year-old volunteer Ameera McKenzie.

In continuation of their efforts, Salvation Army volunteers will return to the area on Thursday to distribute free meals.

As the community looks forward to a cleaner neighborhood and a brighter future, this testament of togetherness for good stands firm.

"We're committed," Black said. "We're not just going to partner with you and advertise. We're going to come out and do the work to make a difference."