29-year-old Alexander Smit from Waarland has been cleaning up the litter along the N242 for some time and although he does not want any money for this, Dijk and Waarders think he should receive something in return. A collection campaign was set up for him and the target amount of 1,000 euros for coffee credit was achieved in no time, allowing Alexander to enjoy a free cup of coffee at one of the gas stations along the road for more than a year.
The action started after an article about Alexander in the local medium Rodi. Anyone who regularly drives on the N242, or comes near Heerhugowaard, Langedijk and even Schagen, can see Alexander (nickname Alex) walking. He walks on the roadside with his pick and garbage bag looking for litter. Alex lives on the street and that is his own choice: “I enjoy the freedom. I can go wherever I want,” he previously told Rodi. By cleaning up trash he contributes to a better world and it also keeps him busy.
So he mainly sleeps outside, near gas stations. Alex doesn’t want money, in fact he shuns any form of help, although he does appreciate a cup of coffee (and a friendly greeting). That did not fall on deaf ears: there is after the publication of the article a collection campaign was set up and shared in several Facebook groups around Dijk en Waard.
And not without success, because 1,000 euros was raised in two days. This means that Alex could collect about 400 cups of coffee for free, good for about two to three cups of coffee per day for a year. The initiator of the action does not want to be named. “It’s not about me, nor about the more than 125 Dijk and Waarders who have donated. It’s about Alex and we have deep respect for what he does.”
Coffee credit
The intention is for the money to be converted into a kind of ‘coffee credit’, so that Alex can get as much free coffee as he wants at any gas station along the route. “I’ll first try it through the AH to go head office, which is located in several locations, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll do it through the gas stations themselves. I also want to print posters in A3 or A4 format that say something like ‘ Thank you Alex, have a nice cup of coffee here, so that it is accessible.”
It is not known what Alex himself thinks of the action.