United Way accepting project proposals for annual Days of Caring in October

The United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona is now inviting local nonprofits, schools, child-care centers, long-term care facilities, community gardens, neighborhood associations and others to submit projects for the 21st annual Days of Caring, the area's largest single volunteer event.

The event is scheduled for Oct. 23-24 and will pair volunteers with local groups to complete various projects. Last year, more than 3,800 volunteers turned out to complete 135 projects city-wide.

This year, with the COVID-19 pandemic, the event will take on a slightly different look with specific guidelines in place. These include:

• All projects submitted must adhere to social distancing recommendations currently in place. This may be subject to change by October.
• In-person projects must be able to offer 6-foot distancing for all volunteers, require masks and a hand-washing or sanitizing area. Any tools must be used only by one person or sanitized between uses.
• Any snacks and drinks offered must be pre-packaged and be offered by one person passing them out while wearing gloves.
• Outdoor projects are preferred. In order to minimize the number of contacts, it is recommended splitting up projects into shifts to accommodate more people.
• Other safety guidelines may be communicated prior to project day.

Virtual projects are being encouraged. These can be collection drives, trainings, creating take-home kits for volunteers to prepare at home and more.

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“Our nation and our community have been through so much turmoil and disruption during this pandemic,” said Tony Penn, president and CEO of United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona. “Our United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona has stepped up to try to alleviate some of the pain and suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic and while we have been successful in that, we also wanted to carry on with our annual Days of Caring event which brings out the best in our community."

Project registration runs through Aug. 14.

For more details and to submit a project for consideration, please visit www.unitedwaytucson.org/daysofcaring.

For information on assistance with submitting a project, contact Meredith Bode at daysofcaring@unitedwaytucson.org.