Melaleuca Team Members Revitalize Two Parks in Southeast Idaho

Last year, hundreds of Melaleuca Team Members gathered on the banks of the Snake River near downtown Idaho Falls, Idaho for a memorable afternoon. Their mission? Breathe new life into the city’s beloved River Walk. The service project was an enormous success, and by the time the sun had set, the city’s Parks and Recreation department declared it the largest service project in Idaho Falls history.

So, it only made sense for Melaleuca volunteers to come back the next year and continue to make the River Walk a beautiful place for all to visit! Highlighting the efforts of 200 Melaleuca Team Members who set out to transform the River Walk, the ABC-TV affiliate Local News 8 published this story, Snake River walk gets makeover thanks to volunteers. 

“Revitalizing the Idaho Falls River Walk was a rewarding service project for our Melaleuca Team Members, who gladly participated in the work because of its significance to our community,” said Melaleuca CEO Jerry Felton. “Not only did this volunteer effort bring our Team Members closer together in the spirit of service, but it also enhances the lives of thousands of visitors who frequently get out in nature to enjoy this beautiful resource.”

After hearing about all the fun last year, Team Members in Rexburg, Idaho, also wanted to participate. As Team Members in Idaho Falls were cleaning up the iconic River Walk, Rexburg Team Members were beautifying a city park and camp ground called Eagle Park, nestled alongside the Teton River that flows through the park. Team Members trimmed trees, cleaned up trash, and raked up debris, branches, and brush.

Cleaning Up the River Walk a Second Time

During the workday, more than 200 Melaleuca Team Members came to the banks of the Snake River ready to prune, cut, clean up, and landscape. Covering roughly 2.5

miles on either side of the Snake River, the group was separated into 12 working groups where they went straight to work.

They worked alongside the city’s Parks and Recreation team to beautify the banks of the Snake River and dispose of the debris in the city’s dump trucks and trailers.

The Idaho Falls River Walk is a beloved gem of the city that is enjoyed by joggers, cyclists, dogwalkers, families, tourists, and more.

Team Members worked hard last year, but after the project was done, there was still plenty more work to do. In 2024, volunteers went back to the river with a full understanding about what was needed to build upon that previous work.

“It’s been delightful to see the landscaping that we accomplished last year is still being appreciated,” said Melaleuca Vice President of HR Jamie Reynolds. “With today’s project, we were able to beautify new areas of the River Walk and do so in a spirit of joy and camaraderie.”

Melaleuca filled multiple truckloads of willow branches and debris, with several more piles to be hauled off in coming days by the Parks and Recreation department. The difference that Melaleuca made was remarkable, and the work accomplished far exceeded what the city would ever have been able to do on their own.

“It’s wonderful that Melaleuca cares so much about the community,” said Software Engineer Steffany Faldmo. “Our team came together to clear paths for everyone to enjoy. Several people walking by commented on how impressed they were with the work being done and expressed gratitude for our service. It was a great experience!”

Last year, the Idaho Falls Parks and Recreation department was extremely grateful for the amount of work that was done. This year was no different.

“Our mission is ‘To Enrich Community,’” said P.J. Holm, Department Director of the city’s Parks and Recreation department. “In order to do this, we rely on individual volunteers and community-minded organizations, like Melaleuca, to assist in maintaining the heavily used green spaces throughout Idaho Falls.  The enormous amount of work that [Melaleuca] was able to complete in just a couple of short hours would have taken our small Parks Division staff weeks to accomplish. We truly appreciate your commitment to our community, and we look forward to partnering with Melaleuca on future projects and volunteer opportunities.”

Helping to Feed the Hungry

Cleaning up the city’s River Walk isn’t the only way Melaleuca has given back to the hometown community. Last year, Melaleuca paid for advertising campaigns to support four separate food drives for local food banks Community Food Basket. The campaigns were incredibly successful and raked in more than 75,000 pounds (or 34 tons) of food.

Additionally, our Team Members spent hours and hours over the next month to sort virtually all of this food. More than 140 Melaleuca Team Members spent their holiday season sorting the food items and also assembling holiday dinner boxes for less-fortunate families.

Thanks to the volunteers’ dedication, the food was sorted in advance of Thanksgiving.

Melaleuca has also long been involved in the Idaho Falls community and has contributed to projects for the River Walk. Melaleuca and its Team Members have been some of the most active financial supporters of the Idaho Falls Rotary Club, which has funded River Walk expansion projects over four decades.