Residents gathered Sunday to hit the sand and surf for a good cause in Stamford.

They grabbed rakes and bags to help clean up Cove Island Park.

The event is sponsored by the Surfrider Foundation's Connecticut Chapter. It's one of several monthly beach cleanups that will take place at various beaches throughout the state.

Organizers are collecting the garbage, sorting it, weighing it and entering the information into a national database where they can identify the culprits. They say the predominant problem in Stamford is plastics.

The next stop on for cleanup is Greenwich in February and Fairfield in March.