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Steamboat Springs — From high school and college students to bankers and local Rotary Club members, the Routt County United Way's 13th annual Day of Caring brought out more than 150 volunteers Wednesday.

The event, which serves to help people and organizations across the community, put volunteers to work on 49 projects. In addition to a food drive for LIFT-UP of Routt County, other projects included cleanup and organizing of garages at Horizons Specialized Services group homes, repairs and maintenance on safe houses for Advocates Against Battering and Abuse, help for Independent Life clients and senior citizens with projects at their homes and cleaning up playgrounds at schools across the county.

"I love to have this kind of community project where Rotarians get together and work together," said Rotary President Mike Forney, who was with a group cleaning out a garage at a Horizons home. "The Day of Caring is a wonderful opportunity to do really physical stuff and to see the results."

Several projects took place in Hayden, including work on Habitat for Humanity homes. In addition, the Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant donated 10 percent of Wednesday sales to United Way, and Ski Town Lions Club provided lunch at Howelsen Lodge's Olympian Hall for all of the day's volunteers who could attend.

"It was a pretty good turnout for us," said Kelly Stanford, Routt County United Way's executive director. "We get volunteers that represent a cross section of the community."

Stanford, who is in her second year of overseeing the Day of Caring, said the day brings volunteers from many sectors of the community, all trying to achieve a common goal.

In addition to numerous volunteers from local businesses, more than 30 students from the Leadership and SEAL classes at Steamboat Springs High School helped out.

"We thank everybody that stepped up and as an organization believe that the display of volunteers shows the community spirit on a day like this," Stanford said. "We have to work through adversity or we wouldn't be here as a community. As a town I think this shows our character."

Shoppers at City Market and Safeway donated more than five carloads of non-perishable food items and toiletries to LIFT-UP on Wednesday.

Stanford said Routt County United Way also has three projects in South Routt County that it plans to get to in the next couple of weeks. She said United Way still is looking for volunteers for those projects. To volunteer, call United Way at 879-5605.