Registration is open for United Way of Hancock County’s Fall Days of Caring for both nonprofits looking to submit projects for help and the volunteers who will complete them.

The fall event will take place September 18 – 20.

During Days of Caring, employees of area corporations and small businesses lend a hand to local organizations.

Nonprofits in need of help submit projects, volunteer teams register to help, and the United Way matches up the two groups. In four-hour shifts, the volunteers take on projects such as landscaping, organizing, painting, planning an event, cleaning, or construction.

Shifts run from 8 a.m. to noon or 12 – 4 p.m.

“When volunteers lend a hand to an agency, it not only increases their capacity, but it provides mission support — a morale boost — as well,” said Angela DeBoskey, CEO of United Way of Hancock County.

“You may be sprucing up landscaping, for example, and the physical work is so helpful, but by being there you’re also saying to that agency’s leaders, ‘I care about your mission. I care that you work hard each day to make people’s lives better. I care about the people you are helping.’ That goes a long way.”

During the larger, weeklong Spring Days of Caring in May this year, about 900 volunteers tackled more than 100 projects, completing 3,600 service hours. This was a value to the community of about $114,500, based on Independent Sector’s national value of a volunteer hour of $31.80.

The video below from the spring event shows some Marathon employees helping out at City Mission.