Day of Caring / Volunteers help clean up Family Connection centers
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No Comments [ Add Comment ]By BETH YOUNG
Standard-Examiner Davis Bureau
LAYTON -- Employees of Clearfield city took the day off Thursday to go to work.
As part of the United Way of Salt Lake's Day of Caring, more than 20 city employees from the city offices to the recreation department volunteered to leave their daily grind to pick up paintbrushes and shovels for the Family Connection centers in Layton and Clearfield.
"We wanted to be as close to the community we work in as we can," said Natalee Flynn, Clearfield city public relations coordinator. "It's important to support the community in which you work and live."
At the center's Layton location, which houses a community food bank, the Clearfield city volunteers repaired and painted food storage shelves, and sorted and organized food supplies.
"We are short-funded, so we don't have enough staff to do these things," said Gene Lopez, Family Connection Center community action director. "If we look at it budget-wise -- 10 to 15 volunteers at $8 an hour we would pay a warehouse worker -- we're talking about hundreds of dollars we are saving that we can use to put into programs. They are helping the community as a whole."
At the Clearfield Family Connection Center, the city sent its parks employees to overhaul the grounds by tilling, planting and trimming trees. The center includes a crisis nursery to help prevent child abuse. Both centers offer many resources to help local families.
"It's a good cause," said Wendy Brimhall, Clearfield dispatch manager. "I don't get to volunteer a whole lot. I thought it would be a good way to help these guys out. It just makes me feel good to know I can do something for somebody else."
This is the 16th annual Day of Caring in which the United Way of Salt Lake has asked local organizations to give time to help the community.
This year, more than 2,600 volunteers from 94 local organizations completed more than 151 service projects in Davis, Salt Lake, Summit and Tooele counties.
The Day of Caring is held at different times of the year for individual United Ways across the country.
United Way of Northern Utah, which covers Morgan, Weber and Box Elder counties, held its event on Wednesday.
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