FORT BENNING, Ga., (Sept. 16, 2015) -- The Fort Benning Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation's Outdoor Recreation and the Fort Benning Directorate of Public Work's Environmental Management Division have partnered to host Help the Hooch from 8 a.m. to noon. Oct. 8 at Russ Pond.

Help the Hooch is the Southeast's largest watershed clean-up event, engaging more than 10,000 volunteers who clean the waters and lands surrounding the Chattahoochee River, its tributaries and other bodies of water nearby, said Jelani Robinson, recreation specialist and programmer at Outdoor Recreation.

"The goal is to keep Fort Benning clean and beautiful," Robinson said. "These are areas that are frequented by many for recreational and Family events such as camping, fishing and canoeing. The cleanup enables us to remove large amounts of trash, debris and hazardous items from the ecosystem, and serves as a postwide initiative to build awareness about the importance of cleaning up our environment in order to ensure it is healthy and thriving for years to come."

The event starts at Russ Pond where teams of volunteers will be issued supplies and equipment such as gloves, trash bags, receptacles, tools and even canoes to safely and effectively assist with the cleanup. Each site is located near a waterway and has a team captain that leads the group and distributes supplies, Robinson said.

"This is an event that is open to everyone - Soldiers, civilians, Family members of all ages and contractors," Robinson said.

At the conclusion of the event there will be a free "thank you" lunch and T-shirts for the volunteers.

For more information or to register, call 706-545-6323 or visit www.benningmwr.com.