BRUNSWICK — On a rainy morning Friday, a handful of volunteers got to work on the Brunswick Town Mall, picking up cigarette butts, wrappers and other litter.

They were participating in a Coastal Cleanup with the Friends of Casco Bay, part of a series of summer litter-picking events scattered across the Casco Bay region.

“All of the drops of water that fall today, eventually, if they’re not evaporated, make it into the Androscoggin River and into the bay, and we want to make sure that it stays clean and safe for the animals, the people, the plants,” said Katrina Venhuizen, Friends of Casco Bay cleanups coordinator.

After a presentation on the watershed, volunteers grabbed gloves, grabbers and buckets and wandered through the Brunswick Farmers Market and into downtown.

“People are going to be more apt to walk by the small piece of candy wrapper or cigarette butt or tiny piece of plastic,” Venhuizen said. “I like to say, ‘Look for the small things, but also pick up the big things.'”

Volunteer Janine Allo, of Cape Elizabeth, said the cleanup gave her a chance to explore downtown Brunswick.

“I just love to pick up garbage — it’s a great way to get to know the area. I know a lot of the coast, but I’ve not ever been in downtown Brunswick before,” Allo said.

Friends of Casco Bay is always looking for volunteers and donors, Venhuizen said. The events are posted on social media and at cascobay.org.

“We want you to come to one cleanup; we want you to come to 50 cleanups,” she said.

Allo guessed she has attended three or four FOCB cleanups now. The turnout was small Friday, but she was hoping to recruit some more volunteers along her path.

“It inspires people — people will pick up a bag and start picking up trash by themselves,” she said.

The organization is hosting a special cleanup for Maine Coastal Cleanup Week on Sept. 9 at Back Cove in Portland. Other upcoming cleanups include Mill Creek Park and Bug Light in South Portland.

“Everyone is involved in Casco Bay, whether you live in Brunswick, we even go up to Belfast,” Venhuizen said. “So every piece of the watershed, we all have a hand in keeping it clean.”