Is it possible to enjoy mopping up stale beer, sweeping soggy peanut shells and scooping used chewing tobacco? Volunteers from The Salt Company, a contemporary Ames Christian group, say yes.

Members of the group volunteer to clean Cyclone Stadium and the adjacent parking lots after events to raise money for their group and its parent, Cornerstone Church.

“We have a blast cleaning. It blows me away to be able to tell new volunteers that they will probably like it,” said Paul Sabino, a junior in mechanical engineering and Salt Company participant.

The Salt Company, a student ministry connected with Cornerstone Church, has a contract this year to clean Cyclone Stadium and the surrounding parking lots after every home football game. Troy Nesbitt, Cornerstone pastor, said organizers got one of their largest turnouts of the year after the Sept. 16 Iowa game, with at least 100 to 150 participants.

“It’s a huge, huge task to clean from the stadium all the way to Hilton,” Nesbitt said. “The first time we did this, I wondered, ‘What have we gotten into?’ I found that people had a good attitude, though, and many hands make quick work.”

Nesbitt said The Salt Company got into the cleaning business after the Rolling Stones performed at Cyclone Stadium several years ago. He said volunteer organizations were needed to clean up the stadium, and The Salt Company got the job.

Salt Company volunteers said they have cleaned up everything from broken umbrellas to dirty diapers. Frank Pribyl, a senior in transportation and logistics, said cleaning the stadium is a dirty job. “It can be pretty gross, especially when it rains.”

Rachel Schoepf, a junior in English, agreed. “We don’t wear gloves, so we have to pick up piles of beer-soaked peanuts with our bare hands. You smell like beer for the rest of the day.”

Volunteers divide into two groups when tackling the cleanup. Some toss trash into garbage bags while they cover the area from the stadium to Hilton Coliseum. The rest use blowers in the stadium stands to remove trash from under the seats.

Cleanups can take anywhere from three to five hours. “It’s unpredictable how long a job will take. It took 220 people five hours to clean up over 600 bags of trash after the Iowa game, but it only took three hours after the Oklahoma State game,” Nesbitt said.

Colder days, like Saturday’s 21-degree high for the ISU-Kansas State game, often lead to fewer fans and less trash.

When evening events are held at the stadium, volunteers work late into the night. Schoepf said the cleaning crew didn’t finish until 2 a.m. after the Ohio University game Aug. 31, a night game.

Volunteers agreed that the cleanup is hard work, but they said it’s rewarding. Pribyl, Sabino and Schoepf are repeat volunteers.

“It’s really a pleasure to clean the stadium. The people working have a great attitude, and this makes the job more fun,” Pribyl said. “You think, ‘This is cool. I’m glad I’m doing this.'”

Schoepf said working gives Salt Company members a chance to talk and get to know each other better. She said some of the things people find while cleaning help make the job a little more exciting, like the occasional $20 bill.

But the primary purpose, organizers say, is to serve God by raising money for Cornerstone Church and Salt Company activities. “We call ourselves the janitors of God,” Schoepf said.

“I like this job because we’re working to raise money for our church,” Sabino added. “We believe there is a God who reached out to us during our lives, and we want to use the money we earn to keep the Salt Company ministry going.”

Nesbitt said Cornerstone Church, made up primarily of college students, often has limited funds. He said cleaning the stadium is a good way to supplement church income. The money is used for missions, program expenses, staff intern salaries and operational bills.