GLASGOW — Caring is a daily practice, but for one day the Barren County Chapter of United Way and local businesses devoted their time to going over and above.

The United Way’s Day of Caring brought local businesses and volunteers to the Barren County Boys and Girls Club, American Legion Park, the Blessings Unleashed Foun-dation in Park City and NHC Healthcare.

“We have about 50 to 60 volunteers out today at the four different sites and they are doing lots of things to help the community. It’s going really well,” said Daniel Moran, director of resource development for the United Way of Southern Kentucky, based out of Bowling Green.

Reportedly, 471 volunteers across Allen, Barren, Logan, Simpson, and Warren counties joined non-profit organizations to complete 62 projects, according to Mandy Hicks, director of volunteering and brand management for UWSK. The number of volunteers and projects increased from last year’s 412 volunteers and 55 projects.

In Barren County, North Jackson Elementary School staff volunteered at NHC Healthcare and many individual volunteers worked as much as they could on outdoor projects for the Glasgow Recreation Department, including painting picnic tables and gazebos.

R.R. Donnelley employees volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club, repairing coat racks, organizing books in the library, mopping floors and cleaning the education, teen, arts and crafts and kids’ centers, along with the kitchen, cafeteria, game room, computer lab and gardens at the front of the building.

“Donnelley [employees] are strong supporters of the United Way because it’s ... an opportunity to give back to the community by channeling the money they make toward good things for everyone,” said Donnelley’s United Way coordinator, Linda Barry. This was Donnelley’s second year participating in the Day of Caring, and employees were happy to have the opportunity to work on the project.

Tinekia Turner brought her son Dalton, 12, along to help clean up. She is a part of the committee at Donnelley that helps Barry organize and spread the word about the United Way works. But most of all, she just loves volunteering.

Her son, who would normally be playing video games on his summer vacation, decided he wanted to give back as well.

“[Playing video games] is what I have been doing pretty much all summer, but I wanted to come because it feels good to be helping people out and to be helping the community,” he said.

Cary Huizenga has worked with the company for 30 years, but this was his first year helping with the Day of Caring. He and Daphne Thompson were taking care of landscaping outside, including trimming bushes, pulling weeds and cleaning up any trash.

“It just seems like something you need to do,” Huizenga said. “It’s my first time, but I’ve enjoyed it.”

The rain that came off and on during the day didn’t seem to dampen the spirits of the volunteers. Thompson and Huizenga waited patiently for it to stop and continued working. Moran said they had rain last year that lasted longer than Wednesday’s rain and was confident in the volunteers’ determination.

“We had downpours last year for about two hours, but we just kept going and the volunteers kept working. I’ve told them all just to use their best judgment,” he said.

Other employees worked in the game room, something the club wanted to have done by the end of the day. They were finished before lunch, vacuuming the pool tables, washing off the air hockey tables and doing general upkeep and maintenance. Even with a stress fracture from exercising, Carrie Dean came out and worked hard.

“This is a rewarding experience, it feels good to offer yourself to something that maybe they can’t afford,” Dean said.