Missouri River Relief

Missouri River Relief’s mission is to engage individuals and communities along the Missouri River in the exploration, enjoyment, restoration and care of the river through hands-on river cleanups, education programs and recreation. 

Since 2001, Missouri River Relief has been bringing people to the Missouri River. More than 33,000 volunteers have removed over 2 million pounds of trash from the river. We've worked with more than 40,000 students and teachers to help develop a relationship with the river. Thousands of people have experienced the Missouri River for the first time at one of our events. 

Since 2018, over 7,000 Columbia Public School fourth graders have participated in the "Missouri River Days" field trip, transforming our community's relationship with our continent's longest river. Each summer, hundreds of adventurers paddle their way across the state in the "Missouri American Water MR340", celebrating its 20th year in 2025. 

Missouri River Relief excels at creating opportunities for people to make the river part of their story. When the river becomes part of our story, we become the voice of the river.

Your donations help Missouri River Relief to build knowledge and understanding of the Missouri River through hands-on experiences that deepen people's connection and sense of responsibility to their river. 

We love getting to share the story of this river… Like "what forces shaped the Missouri River into the river it is today, or "where does all of the trash we pick-up come from and where does it all go", or "How did this cool pre-historic fish become endangered?" "Who were the people that lived here long before we did?" We host a monthly Big Muddy Speaker Series that explores topics like these each month.

Learn more about our programs at www.riverrelief.org

See you on the river!