BUFFALO, N.Y. — ​This Thursday, residents in the Masten District are waking up to a cleaner neighborhood. Operation Clean Sweep was underway yWednesday.

The goal of this initiative is to help clean up the city and assist residents.

It's made possible by Mayor Byron Brown’s office and state and federal partners.

Volunteers previously removed graffiti and debris, boarded up abandoned structures and more.

This year, a series of pop-up events focused on health and wellness.

According to Brown, the pop-ups are intended to both inform neighbors of health services the city offers and provide resources for unemployed and underemployed.

"Certainly, we are still dealing with the COVID-19 global pandemic, and we want to provide people with information and resources to keep them healthy, to keep them safe, to give them information on getting vaccinated," Mayor Brown said.

Operation Clean Sweet also celebrated its halfway point, having already completed 15 out of the usual 30 sweeps done each year. More could be on the way, if time allows.