An effort to clean up a city neighborhood brought inmates from the Monroe County Correctional Facility out to lend a helping hand. It’s a partnership between the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office’s “Outside Works” inmate program and the Little Italy Association.

The inmates spent Tuesday morning picking up trash in the Little Italy Historic District and Lyell Avenue areas of Rochester.

“We want to revitalize this area and this is part of our effort,” said Silvano Orsi, Little Italy Association president. “While we’re not building an Italian neighborhood again, we are implementing an inclusive effort to commemorate 150 years of history in this area as a historic district and this is a part of the team effort and we hope the residents will join.”

“It gets them out in the community, the community a lot of them live in,” said Corp. Gerald Grimshaw, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. “They clean up, they feel good about it, and it makes the neighborhoods look better.”

Grimshaw says the Outside Works program has teamed up with other neighborhood associations throughout the city.