About 111 volunteers from businesses in Missoula, many of them used to office work, spread out across the Garden City on Friday to perform manual labor in the name a local nonprofit’s good cause.
United Way of Missoula County, along with United Way’s other branches across the world, has for about 25 years sponsored a “Day of Action” to encourage people to volunteer in their communities.
Volunteers from Blackfoot Communications helped out the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula with sorting and organizing. A team from Stockman Bank braved the sweltering afternoon sun to help the nonprofit Garden City Harvest chop down the weeds at its River Road community vegetable farm.
“We do it every year, and we try to do it on the longest day of the year,” explained Susan Hay Patrick, CEO of United Way of Missoula County. “It’s a way to get people to think about giving back to their communities.”
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Other businesses helping out included the University of Montana’s Office of Experiential Learning and Career Success, HDR Engineering, Blackfoot Communications, WGM Group, Clearwater Credit Union, St. Patrick Hospital, Scheels, Daily’s Meats, and JCCS Certified Public Accountants. United Way also had a team helping out with lawn care at Missoula Aging Services.
“Many of (the businesses) are longstanding United Way supporters and many of them encourage their employees to volunteer in the community,” Hay Patrick said. “Some of them even offer paid time off. Many see it as a way to not only get involved in the community but also as a team-building exercise.”
Volunteers from Stockman Bank help out at the Garden City Harvest River Road Farm on Friday, June 21, 2024.
Hay Patrick said it’s really not difficult to convince businesses to send teams to volunteer.
“We’re really lucky that so many businesses and organizations in Missoula have a culture of giving back,” she said.
United Way of Missoula County puts out a call to local nonprofits to see what they need.
“The volunteers help completing projects that they don’t have a way to get done,” Hay Patrick said.
Some nonprofits lack the funding or the manpower or the expertise to get some projects done. For example, a team from a local engineering firm once helped a child care center build a handicap-accessible ramp.
“Some of these projects could cost a nonprofit on a tight budget thousands of dollars,” Hay Patrick said. “They submit project ideas and we match them with our corporate partners.”
This year, HDR Engineering sent a team to the Bancroft Ponds for a cleanup.
Two United Way employees, Salina Chatlain and Jacinda Morigeau, hopped around town delivering sunscreen and water to the hardworking volunteers as the temperature rose on Friday.
“Everyone’s working hard and we got a lot of projects done today,” Chatlain explained.
David Erickson is the business reporter for the Missoulian.
