Paul and Andrea Fazzino are the Kings of Clean. They moved to Florida from Connecticut and started a non-profit organization known as Beach Keepers Inc.
Their mission is to clean up Florida beaches, parks, city streets and waterways. The tools of their trade are buckets, gloves, pickers, masks and liquids to quench their thirst.
They cruise parks, beaches and streets every day looking for plac-es where trash is left behind. Instead of glancing the other way, they pick it up and haul it to appropriate garbage cans and dumpsters.
This act seems surreal in an age when most people scour the city looking for someone to clean their kitchen or tile floors. But un-like most mortals on the planet the Fazzino brothers take pride – and spend over 1,500 hours a month – cleaning public spaces from Singer Island to North Broward.
“We pay attention to what is going on in the city and we go to places before, during and after an event to clean up. We are trying to instil a culture of cleanliness so people can pick up safely around their own areas,” said Paul.
The Fazzino brothers form alliances with other organizations (and churches) and have a particular soft spot in their big hearts for those in need. They keep an office in downtown Delray stocked with cleaning supplies, water, masks, snacks and other necessities.
They are particularly helpful and supportive to those down on their luck. “We invite everyone we meet who can’t take care of themselves to join us to help clean up. We give them tasks that build their self-esteem and promote sobriety. We create a bond with them and get them the help they need,” adds Andrea.
The brothers work seven days a week, often 10 hours a day pick-ing up litter or helping others. They have been featured on the lo-cal news and received a community service award from the Delray Chief of Police.
But their tireless effort of selfless service is rooted in love, rather than awards and accolades. “I started working when I was 12-years-old in a bakery. I worked like a dog – it’s our family culture to work really hard.”
The Fazzino brothers worked at their family restaurant (Wethersfield Pizza) before moving to South Florida. Thirty family members and friends came to Boynton and bought condos in the same complex.
Their family code of kindness toward strangers is what instilled this trait in their sons. “We treated all our customers at the restaurant like family. We knew what they liked and what they wanted to eat. That’s why we try to help people in need.”
Their goal to serve 24/7 is what makes the Fazzino brothers a rarity in our social media driven path toward riches. They live modestly and hand out gift cards for food to those who are hungry. They help the “at risk” community with friendship and support to become self-sufficient, and they try to instill a culture of clean to young people, tourists and residents.
Their clean-up efforts are supplemented with volunteers from all walks of life. But their generosity doesn’t stop there. They attend meetings where the “at risk” population is discussed, and they at-tend to areas where people are down on their luck.
“We clean up around people living outside and establish relation-ships with them. We give out clothing, gift cards for food and help them in any way we can. Sometimes they stop us on the street and say, ‘You saved my life. I now have a job, a girlfriend and a place to live.’
It’s been a beautiful blessing in our lives.”
The blessings go both ways. The Fazzino brothers work every day and tend to the environment as if it were a shared trust fund. They’re always trying to help others, and establish an equilibrium that equates cleanliness to godliness.
That type of compassion is not learned in school – it was instilled in their emotional hard drives at birth. “We grew up with amazing parents who loved and supported us in everything we did. We like people to feel good about themselves, where they live, and what they are doing.”
They establish neighborhood volunteer groups, and clean beaches and streets as if they were a communal trust fund. “Paul and Andrea do great work and keep the city clean and beautiful. They pick up trash with the ‘at risk’ community and give them gift cards and encouragement. They are awesome,” said Delray Police officer Damien Ferraiolo.
The Fazzino brothers also teach young people to honor a culture of caring and conservation. “We seek to instill a spirit of preservation of natural beauty in the public arena. We organize monthly and bi-monthly beach clean-ups in public areas and we look after those who need help.”
Beach Keepers invites everyone to share their passion for pre-serving the beauty of South Florida, its pristine beaches and parks.
They are looking for volunteers, donors and contributors.
BEACH KEEPERS INC.
paul@beachkeepersinc.org
561- 281-9593
andrea@beachkeepersinc.org
561-373-5937
