Day of Caring is slated for September

Volunteers go all over the Panhandle to help others

By Erienne Greene / Journal Staff Writer

Nicole Schwab, right, and Jennifer Barney rake during last year’s Day of Caring. (Journal file photo)

MARTINSBURG - In preparation for the annual United Way Day of Caring in the Eastern Panhandle, organizers are encouraging local businesses and residents to express their care about their community by donating their time on the annual day of service.

This year's Day of Caring will be held on Sept. 15, and the event chair said she can sleep well at night, knowing that the turnout of volunteers just keeps getting bigger year after year.

"What's so exciting is that in one day you have over 1,200 volunteers going out in our community doing great work and all the enthusiasm is great," said Joanne Wadsworth. "It's a wonderful way to cultivate new volunteers for the individual agencies as well."

For 15 years, the event has provided opportunities for communities throughout the tri-county area of the Eastern Panhandle to participate in projects that benefit local non-profit organizations and their clients. Wadsworth said projects range from painting and cleaning to building wheelchair ramps.

The official kickoff for the Day of Caring will be a 7:30 a.m. breakfast provided by West Virginia University Hospitals-East at War Memorial Park in Martinsburg.

Following the morning meal, volunteers will report to their respective project sites to perform a variety of community service activities.

Later that day from 4:30 to 6 p.m., volunteers will join for a celebratory dinner, sponsored by the Clarion Hotel in Shepherdstown.

Again this year, the Mega Food Drive is being held in conjunction with the Day of Caring.

The public can help stock local food pantry shelves by dropping off nonperishable food items at any Eastern Panhandle bank, the Nationwide offices of Tom Jones in Charles Town, Kearneysville and Inwood, or other participating businesses and organizations.

Day of Caring volunteers also are asked to participate in the Mega Food Drive by bringing food donations to the kick-off breakfast.

Trina Bartlett, the director of community impact at UWEP, is this year's volunteer coordinator for the Day of Caring. She said the annual event is "a great way for hundreds of volunteers to see first-hand the needs in our community and experience the satisfaction that comes with making a difference."

"Historically, this community has turned out in force that day to help those who need it," Bartlett said. "We're hoping to see the same outpouring this year."

She added that there is still a strong need for individuals who have contracting experience for this year's Day of Caring, specifically with carpentry skills, as well as a need for donations of materials.

"People can work with repairing roofs and gutters to get these homes ready for the harsher weather. That is a specific need," Wadsworth added.

More information is available to individuals and groups interested in volunteering by contacting the United Way of the Eastern Panhandle at (304) 263-0603, ext. 224, or by visiting the Web site at www.uwayep.org.

- Staff writer Erienne Greene can be reached at (304) 263-8931, ext. 183 or at egreene@journal-news.net