Volunteer with PBC to Honor MLK, Jr.

Saturday, January 17, 2026

Every year, the Pacific Beach Coalition organizes a special beach cleanup and habitat restoration activity to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. with a Day of Service and Annual Planting event.

This is your chance to start the year off by making a meaningful difference in your community, connecting with nature, and honoring Dr. King’s legacy. Let’s come together to protect our beautiful coastline and marine life—join us to become a community steward and play an important part of this vital environmental movement!

Beach cleanup with PBC 9–11AM

  • Join other volunteer Earth Heroes to clean up along Pacifica State Beach, the California Coastal Trail, and the Mouth of San Pedro Creek in Linda Mar, Pacifica.
  • Supplies will be provided on a first-come, first-serve basis. We encourage everyone to bring their own reusable gloves and bucket.
  • After we sort and count the pickup, keep up the good work with our habitat restoration activity.

Sign up to volunteer at the beach cleanup and let us know you’re coming. Make sure that everyone in your party completes the waiver form. Check-in with our site captains starting at 9AM in the Pacifica State Beach Parking Lot A next to the Taco Bell. Free parking passes will be provided onsite.

Habitat restoration with PBC 10AM–1PM

  • Join us to plant and maintain native plants along the Coastal Trail in Pacifica. This is our biggest planting day of the year, supporting our monthly planting, weeding, mulching and watering actions.
  • Tools and directions will be provided.
  • We encourage you to bring your own reusable gloves and water bottle.
  • Hats, closed toe shoes, and sunscreen also recommended.

Sign up to volunteer at the habitat restoration and let us know you’re coming. Make sure that everyone in your party signs a waiver form. Check-in first, then meet us along the Coastal Trail (just north of the Highway 1 intersection). Parking is available in the Pacifica Community Center lot at 540 Crespi Drive, Pacifica. Free parking passes will be provided; see PBC representatives at check-in. (Note: This parking lot is closer to the meeting spot for the beach planting than the main Pacifica State Beach parking lots.)

We can’t wait to see you! Can’t make it on January 17? We host more events and opportunities to Give Back every month. View our calendar for future cleanups and habitat restorations.

Other things you can do to help

  • Host your own day of service or climate action with our Street to Beach program.
  • Plant some native plants in your lawn and garden to support pollinators, build seed libraries.
  • Refuse single-use plastic and say NO to disposable plastic for the day.
  • Install gutters and barrels to capture and store rainwater.
  • Start a compost bin or pile to manage food waste and grow soil.
  • Do a plastic audit of your trash bin and find alternatives where possible.
  • Make a donation to Pacific Beach Coalition or other ocean-related nonprofit.

Let us know how you did

Email us photos of all your little plastic pieces and most interesting finds so we can show other PBC Earth Heroes. Sort, count, and track the trash that you collect with the Clean Swell app. Input ‘PBC’ or ‘Pacific Beach Coalition’ as your group affiliation to help us confirm your impact counts. Celebrate!

MLK day of service Clean Swell app flyer

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