By the Numbers

This issue of TFK features people who go above and beyond to serve their community. Get inspired by these Guinness World Records for community service, and remember: These huge numbers were created one small action at a time.

943,195 People

worked on the largest coastal cleanup initiative (above). In 2019, during the annual International Coastal Cleanup event, volunteers from 116 countries removed more than 20 million pounds of trash from nearly 25,000 miles of coastline.

168 Hours

is how much time the longest underwater cleanup took. In 2013, 134 divers in Malaysia pulled nearly 7,000 pounds of trash from the seabed. Teams of divers took turns, for a consecutive total of seven days.

50,744 Meals

were delivered in one community in eight hours, setting a world record. This 2021 project was completed by three groups in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—Nefsy, Traham Foundation, and the UAE Food Bank—to celebrate the country’s 50th birthday.

70,019 Hours

is the highest number of volunteer hours worked by an individual. Viola Cocran volunteered at Slidell Memorial Hospital, in Slidell, Louisiana, from its opening in 1959 until she retired, at 89, in 2012.

$53,122

is the most money raised at a lemonade stand in 24 hours. Operated by the Pink Lemonade Stand Challenge on October 8, 2023, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the stand raised funds to support the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.