Friday, July 18, 2025
Sanitation workers play a crucial role in any community. They keep streets and neighborhoods clean — without them, they would be far from it — and most of the time, they do it without any thanks.
The Crane family, of Long Beach, is trying to change that. On June 18 they hosted an inaugural Thank You Brunch at the city’s Sanitation Department for its employees.
“It was really, really wonderful,” Leigh Crane, a former educator at the Lexington School for the Deaf in Jackson Heights, Queens, and now a full-time mom, said. “The guys rolled in — they enjoyed their meals. It was a great first-year event. I’m looking forward to doing it again next year, with even more businesses that will help.”
The brunch took place during Waste and Recycling Workers Week, a 12-year-old initiative that is recognized across the country. This was the third year the Cranes have celebrated the week. In 2023 they began putting fliers and signs on their trash and recycling bins that were ready for pickup. They read, “Thank you for everything you do to keep our Long Beach community clean and safe,” and they included a QR code that neighbors could scan to learn more about the family’s initiative.
Local restaurants and delis pitched in to cater last week’s brunch, which offered everything from breakfast to lunch foods. Brand’s Delicatessen and the Long Beach Sandwich Company supplied hero sandwiches; Dough Hut, more than 50 doughnuts; Baked by the Ocean, cookies and brownies; Blacksmith’s Breads, coffee; Key Food West, fruit; and Beginnings, a tray of pancakes.
Leigh Crane worked with Devin Parker, the city’s superintendent of sanitation, to plan the brunch. Parker explained that some local eateries already donate food to the workers to show their appreciation, and this just adds to the love they feel.
“I mean, Leigh is amazing,” Parker said. “The guys love it. They love their appreciation. They love to know that someone cares.”
Leigh and Nick Crane and their children, Taylor and Cody, have always had great relationships with the sanitation workers who work in their neighborhood on Arizona Avenue. They have regularly offered their own thanks to the workers, and now they hope the rest of the city will as well.
Taylor and Cody Crane always enjoy seeing the garbage and recycling trucks come down the street, and greeting the workers. When Taylor was born in 2020, coronavirus lockdowns were in effect. While residents were inside and not communicating much with one another, the family made up for it by interacting with the workers passing through.
One sanitation worker, Anthony Hemphill, used to stop and chat. He even surprised Taylor and Cody with Christmas gifts. Hemphill died in 2022, so, Leigh said, the celebration is really in honor of him.
“This is the first year we had the brunch,” Parker said. “But usually she’s out there and people are giving us (food) and some sort of appreciation to us while we’re working. But this year she went a little further with it, and she plans on going further next year.”
Crane and Parker worked together to come up with the idea, but they also had some help from the community. Residents Sea D’Amico and Mike Ruvolo helped by taking photos and making signs. The Long Beach school district also posted fliers on its virtual backpack site for the week, and Long Beach Catholic Regional School passed out fliers to students. Crane hopes there will be even more support across the community in the future.
“We’re really hoping that this is an annual event in Long Beach, because there are so many different ways that individual families, individual businesses, sectors in the community, can make it their own,” Crane said. “This year we’ve seen a ton of kids, families with toddlers who dress up as a garbage worker and recognize them in that way. Or businesses saying, all right, maybe we’ll consider doing the discount for the sanitation workers this year. We’re all about just providing the opportunity to do the good in front of you, because every small act of kindness ripples out tremendously.”
