Coronavirus can't stop annual Week of Caring
The coronavirus pandemic might be intimidating, but it's no match for the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania.
The United Way Week of Caring will carry on from Oct. 2 to 10 while keeping volunteers safe from the virus.
Amy Franz, Butler region director of the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, said employees in companies that offer volunteers normally car pool from their offices to the sites where work is completed.
Since many employees are now working at home, they will drive separately to sites to paint, landscape or perform other tasks for local nonprofit agencies.
“We had to be conscious of companies and what their policies for their employees were,” Franz said of gathering volunteers for the Week of Caring.
She said outdoor projects will see no more than 25 volunteers working at a time in shifts, and volunteers doing indoor projects will be scheduled depending on the space allowed.
“And there are a couple opportunities for people to do some volunteering at home by creating kits and then dropping them off,” Franz said.
Volunteers can sign up to put together kits at their homes like cold weather gear, diaper drives, weekend food kits for students and greeting cards to be distributed to senior citizens.
Franz said the kits can then be dropped off Oct. 10 at the United Way office at 407 W. Jefferson St. in Butler.
In-person projects in Butler County are landscaping and painting Oct. 7 at Glade Run Lutheran Services in Zelienople, maintenance Oct. 8 at The Lighthouse in Middlesex Township, building tiny libraries Oct. 6 at Camp Bucoco in Slippery Rock Township, painting Oct. 6 at the Butler YWCA or packing food for the needy Oct. 5 at Cranberry Community Park at the Jaycees Shelter in Cranberry Township.
Franz hopes to get 1,000 volunteers for Week of Caring projects.
To sign up for any of the United Way Week of Caring projects in Butler County, whether in-person or virtual, visit volunteer.uwswpa.org. and click on “For Volunteers.”
