CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Hundreds of volunteers are coming together again to do some handy work for under-served groups throughout Central West Virginia during a large, one-day event of giving back.
The largest one-day volunteer event in the region, The United Way of Central West Virginia held its 18th annual Day of Caring Wednesday. It brought in volunteers from all over to serve non-profit organizations, low-income assistance programs, recovery centers, among other facilities through anything from carpentry work, cleaning, to lawn care.
The volunteer teams were expecting to take on around 70 different projects for the event throughout Kanawha, Boone, Putnam, Braxton, Clay and Logan counties.
Around 100 members of Charleston Area Medical Center were one of the groups out volunteering throughout the Kanawha Valley for the event Wednesday.
The Lee Terrace apartments on Charleston’s East side was one of the locations CAMC staff were working at, trimming bushes, planting flowers, and doing various other landscaping work outside. CAMC volunteer Megan Hatfield told MetroNews it’s important work, as it’s helping those who can’t always help themselves.
“This particular place that we’re at today houses elderly and disabled adults, so we want to be able to give back to them and do what we can, and this is the kind of thing that they can’t get out here and do, so we want to make this as nice as possible for them,” said Hatfield.
She said some of the apartment building residents who were able to were out helping the volunteers with the work.
Hatfield said CAMC participates in the event every year as a way to extend beyond the walls of the hospital in servicing others, adding that it’s not only beneficial for the community but the staff, as well.
“It’s great for us, too, you know, we like to get out here and team-build and do all of that with our other employees together, so it’s a great experience for everybody I think,” Hatfield said.
Some of the other stops CAMC volunteers were going to be making Wednesday to help out at included Mountain Mission, the Ronald McDonald House, and Kanawha Valley Senior Services. Hatfield said some were also going to be helping at a local soup kitchen, organizing their pantries and helping them get ready for winter.
TC Energy was another company helping out and about in the community Wednesday with around 33 volunteers.
One of the stops they made was at Recovery Point, a drug and alcohol recovery center located on Charleston’s West side. TC Energy volunteer Stephen White said volunteering in various ways is something the company advocates closely for.
“TC Energy is really connected to the communities where we have offices and where we have our pipeline assets, and we really like to give back to the local communities, we have a very strong volunteer program and donation program,” said White.
They were at Recovery Point Wednesday giving its kitchen a fresh, new bright yellow paint job.
While White said this was about the fifth or sixth year working at United Way’s Day of Caring event, the company takes on other volunteer work opportunities whenever possible.
“We serve at food banks, we have a very strong internal program called Build Strong, it focuses entirely on non-profit organizations in the communities where we work and live, and we’re always looking for new groups to partner with and ways we can help serve those around us,” he said.
White said the two other places they would be volunteering at were Sojourner’s Women’s shelter and Manna Meal.
He said it it feels good to give back to those in need.
“It feels really good, not just in a personal way, but it feels really good because the company is supportive,” White said. “We can do this on a work day and we don’t have to worry, the company says serving the people around us is so important that you can take the day and go and do that.”
Hatfield agreed that the work just simply feels good to do for others, as well as partnering with an organization like the United Way whose well-known for the humanitarian work they do on a daily basis.
“I mean like I said, giving back to the community is great and we don’t get that opportunity every day, so being able to be supported by the United Way and get out here where, you know, we don’t always know who needs us, so it’s really great to be sponsored by them, they tell us what to do and where to go and we’re glad to go do it,” said Hatfield.