Like a service-oriented vigilante, an 85-year-old woman named Barbra—who prefers her last name be left out because she does not want attention—sat down for an interview with Scroll after a 2025 Facebook post from the Rexburg Police Department.
During the interview, Barbra describes how she has served her communities for years. She previously lived near Seattle, where she spent time with her family collecting trash from beaches and leaving bags that would later be removed by helicopters.
“Wherever I’ve lived, I picked up trash,” Barbra said.
After living briefly in St. George, she moved to Rexburg not for work, family or financial reasons, but for spiritual ones.
“I asked Heavenly Father where I could go, where I’d be close to a temple,” she said. “And here I am in an apartment where I can see the temple... and I’m five minutes away, and I’m there every day.”
Barbra cleans trash along local highways not only for cleanliness, but also as an expression of faith.
“When I see trash along the road, I just pick it up,” she said. “I’m a neatnik, I guess.”
She typically cleans between mileposts 332 and 337 on Interstate 15, including on-ramps, off-ramps and medians. She also cleans sections of Airport Road and Main Street near the city golf course.
Though she works independently, she expresses hope that the community will become more involved in the effort.
She specifically mentions JustServe, a volunteer service organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Barbra says JustServe groups occasionally organize freeway cleanup projects, but she hopes additional groups, including local students and community organizations, will adopt stretches of roadway more consistently.
“I would like to see groups ask for a section of the freeway,” she said. “Go out more than twice a year.”
Barbra says she believes community involvement can help decrease littering overall.
“If they get involved, especially these young people, then they won’t throw trash out the window,” she said.
She describes not only spiritual incentives for service, but material ones as well.
“I have found in excess of $300,” she explained. “I have found two $100 bills out on the freeway.”
Her service has also led to the recovery of keys, wallets, purses, credit cards and identification cards. She says the items are turned over to police, and some are eventually returned to their owners.
Barbra says serving the community has brought blessings into her life.
“Are you kidding? I’m 85 and I go to the doctor once a year for a checkup,” she said.
She explains that when she is not serving in the temple, she is often collecting garbage and credits much of her motivation and protection to the “angels” she believes support her as she works.
Despite recognition from the press and community members, Barbra prefers to remain mostly anonymous and focuses more on encouraging service than receiving attention herself.
“The reason I’m letting you do this is to drum up more trash business,” she said with a laugh. “I’m not the only one who’s out there.”
Barbra also praises other local volunteer efforts, including groups that have cleaned areas near the city landfill and golf course. She says seeing others contribute gives her hope that more residents will help keep the community clean.
“It’s God’s country,” she said. “I enjoy it.”
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