Volunteers are still needed for the United Way’s seventh annual Day of Caring, which is coming up June 14.
The four-hour event will start at 8 a.m. with a breakfast for volunteers at the Greenwood Interfaith Ministries’ Community Kitchen, located at 200 E. Johnson St.
“It’s important to the community. There is a huge need,” said Dale Riser, co-chair of the event. “Obviously, it takes a village to get things done.”
As of this morning, 155 volunteers had signed up, said Freda Maxey, executive director of the United Way of Leflore County.
She said more volunteers are still needed for various projects around town. To volunteer, call the United Way of Leflore County at 453-1910.
Donations of tools and materials can also be made.
Businesses, church groups and civic organizations are especially welcome to join in, Riser said.
A lunch will be provided to the volunteers by Atmos Energy, and each volunteer who works the full four hours will receive a Day of Caring T-shirt.
A few of the scheduled projects include:
• American Red Cross — Needs file folders and copy paper donated.
• Beacon Harbor — Painting of four resident bathrooms and a storage room. Replacing blinds in residents’ rooms.
• Boys & Girls Club of the Mississippi Delta — Window blinds for computer room. Sturdy wood or metal box for weightlifting weights, rubber mat for weightlifting. Repair or replacement of ice machine. Removal of storage facility. Fluorescent light bulbs, both 4-foot and 8-foot lengths. Donation of a working computer.
• Community Food Pantry — Metal canopy over loading dock and canopy to be installed over client area. Parking lot lines and speed bumps need to be painted. Cleaning of the service center carpet.
• Greenwood Interfaith Ministries Community Kitchen — Viking Range Corp. volunteers and the city of Greenwood will plant a vegetable garden adjacent to the kitchen. Donated plants are welcome.
• Girl Scouts Heart of the Delta — Needs repairs at its camp in Grenada.
• Greenwood-Leflore Fuller Center for Housing — The Greater Blessing Box program makes minor repairs to the homes of the elderly and low-income residents.
• Leflore County Humane Society — Volunteers are needed to paint and repair cages and to clean the storage room.
nSalvation Army — Volunteers are needed to strip and wax the fellowship hall of the church located at 209 N. Stone St.
Having more volunteers translates into a broader impact communitywide, Riser said.
“The more people we have, the more we can do,” he said.
Even though people can sign up in advance, just showing up on the day of the event will make a substantial difference, even if it’s only for an hour, he said.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
