Volunteers from local companies helped community groups with projects Tuesday that ranged from painting and cleaning to landscaping as a part of the United Way Annual Day of Caring.
United Way Coordinator Diana Reilly said 175 volunteers participated in the Annual Day of Caring at locations in Meriden and Wallingford. Reilly said the agencies that receive help are always grateful and the volunteers are proud of the impact that they have on the community.
Reilly said the organization typically has more than 200 volunteers that participate in Day of Caring and work can be completed the day of, or in the weeks that follow. The companies that participated this year included Fosdick Fulfillment Corporation, Gaylord, Fairfield Inn by Marriott, The Marlin Company, Mirion Technologies, Rotary Club of Wallingford, the Record-Journal and the CT Hospital Association. Master’s Manna, Girls, Inc., The Cove Center for Grieving Children, Women and Families Center, Child Guidance Clinic, Meriden YMCA, Wallingford Public Library and the Salvation Army received assistance with projects.
“The agencies are so grateful for the help because they can never do any of this without the volunteers coming,” Reilly said. “A lot of them wait all year and save up their projects for Day of Caring. It has a big impact.”
Members of the Rotary Club visited the Wallingford Public Library Tuesday to paint, clean and help pull weeds. Library director Jane Fisher said the library does not have staff for outdoor work specifically and she was grateful because the tasks would otherwise fall to the library staff to fix.
Near the front entrance of the library Rotary members Lori Cooke-Marra and Brittany Barbaro, Choate Rosemary Hall employee, worked to remove weeds, overgrown grass and picked up litter from the area. Barbaro said it was the fourth year she has volunteered with the United Way. The Rotary Club has helped for close to 10 years.
“We are just weeding, extra work that they don't necessarily have the staff for, and finding some litter along the way,” Barbaro said. “Just a little general cleanup to keep the community looking nice.”
Employees of Mirion Technologies visited the Child Guidance Clinic in Meriden. Around 16 volunteers in two locations painted rooms, washed windows and trimmed hedges.
Jim Maffuid, clinic executive director, said they volunteered for several hours to complete all of the projects.
“For us on a tight budget, we’d never get this painting done without help,” he said.
Therapist Megan Clarke told the crew of volunteers that she had never seen her office so clean as they wiped windows and tables, and rearranged the furniture. She said the volunteers were a welcome surprise and she was grateful for the help.
“It’s such a sense of community. What an amazing thing for a company to do for the community,” Clarke said. “It’s very neighborly.”
jroman@record-journal.com
203-317-2420
Twitter: @JenieceRoman