Mitch Crist picks up trash downtown several mornings a week, trading up to five full trash bags for $4 each once he wraps up his rounds.
“I do it pretty much every day,” Crist said. “I like going down to Mellow Mushroom to buy a couple of beers, or to Dollar General or Bantam and Biddy to get something to eat.”
Crist has become a regular in the Cash for Trash program the Downtown Chattanooga Alliance started piloting in March, said Steve Brookes, executive director of the alliance. Like most participants, Crist is homeless and spends his days and nights on the city’s streets.
“I think the feedback I hear the most is they feel better about themselves,” Brookes said of program participants. “They made their own money today, they didn’t have to ask for it or get a handout.”
Brandy Burgans, the owner of Mellow Mushroom on Broad Street, said she appreciates the opportunity to support a program that helps people in her community.