During the 15th Annual Days of Caring, more than 300 people from all over Richmond County gave their time and skills to help nonprofits.
Some of the things that volunteers did were paint, plant a garden, read to kids, clean, stock shelves, bring meals, help build two homes, pack backpacks, and more.
Michelle Parrish, who is the executive director of United Way of Richmond County, thanked the volunteers for their hard work and devotion.
“About a hundred more volunteers showed up this year, and some businesses took part for the first time.” Along with that, we made Days of Caring last three days this year, from Thursday evening to Saturday afternoon, Parrish said.
“Many of these volunteers have been with us for years; some have been with us since the beginning, 15 years ago.” They made it possible for us to finish.
304 volunteers gave a total of 917 hours of work, which saved United Way’s partner agencies $30,710.33 in costs.
“I’m very thankful to the businesses that let their workers take part and to everyone in the community who gave their time to help,” Parrish said. “Our “Day of Caring” in 2025 is already on our minds.”
2024 United Way Campaign: Aiming for $250,000
As the Days of Caring come to an end, the United Way of Richmond County starts its 2024 Campaign. The Board of Directors wants to raise $250,000, which is a big amount. Workplace efforts will be a big part of this.
They will let workers give back to the community while also building teamwork and making people more aware of what’s needed in the area.
The money that is raised stays in Richmond County unless the donor tells us otherwise. It helps local groups that meet a lot of different needs in the community.
The American Red Cross, Back Pack Pals, Habitat for Humanity of the NC Sandhills, Leak Street Alumni, New Horizons Life and Family Services, Our Daily Bread, Pee Dee Pregnancy Resource Center, Richmond County 4-H, Richmond County Rescue Squad, Richmond County Schools Exceptional Children, Salvation Army, Samaritan Colony, and Sandhills Children’s Center are all United Way Partner Agencies.
These groups help kids and teens, make families stronger, meet important needs, and give communities more power. They helped people 79,829 times in 2023, giving 14,194 individual tasks. They’ve helped 6,895 people with 71,906 services so far in 2024.
“The changes in requests are still being seen this year,” Parrish said. “Food resources have become the most requested need since 2022.” “The cost of rent and utilities is still high, but there is a huge need for food.”
You can learn more about United Way of Richmond County at www.unitedwayrichmondnc.net or send your support to PO Box 153, Rockingham, NC 28380. Michelle Parrish can also be reached at 910-997-2173.