Day of Giving event Friday has year-round impact
CHEYENNE — The 20th annual Cheyenne Day of Giving will take place Friday, but the support the fundraiser provides for the community lasts all year long.
'The work we do outside of May is every bit as important as the Day of Giving itself, because both instances, the event and the work throughout the year, helps fill the gap between what agencies need and what they have the money for,' said Greta Morrow, founder of the Day of Giving.
On Friday, volunteers will collect physical donations like food, personal-care items and craft items. In addition, Day of Giving collects monetary donations that are used to purchase items for the 16 community organizations partnered with Day of Giving throughout the year. One hundred percent of the donations received go back into the community, Morrow said.
The monetary donations are never given to these organizations as raw funds. Instead, the nonprofits submit their needs to the Day of Giving board each quarter to request certain items to be purchased with the funds they have been allocated.
Morrow said this is done so she knows the donors' money will not go to pay administrative costs, but directly support local nonprofits.
One of the beneficiaries of the year-round efforts as part of Day of Giving is COMEA House and Resource Center, the local homeless shelter, which provides housing, free meals, case management and some transportation to those in need.
'Day of Giving is a year-round benefit for us. I mean, it's such a blessing,' said Robin Bocanegra, executive director of COMEA.
She said one of the current needs at the shelter is a new washing machine and dryer, after both have stopped working recently in the family shelter.
COMEA is typically allotted between $1,100 and $1,300 each quarter to request items for purchase by Day of Giving. Most of the year, those funds are used to pay for items COMEA is in need of but may not have the budget for at the time, like a washing machine or a snow blower.
During the holiday season, those funds are often used to purchase gifts for the COMEA residents. Bocanegra said she and her staff ask residents to put items like clothes or hygiene products on a wish list, and COMEA will purchase it using Day of Giving funds.
'Some of them tell us, 'I don't want anything. Just being able to have shelter is enough for me.' So, then we'll go out and buy them something,' she said. 'We make sure everybody has a brand-new hoodie at Christmas time or a backpack and things like that. So yeah, that money is very helpful.'
Of the 16 nonprofits that benefit from Day of Giving, 12 receive support year-round. Morrow said the amount each organization receives every quarter is calculated based on the funds available and the size of the need for each nonprofit.
'We have established a percent, and it's very fungible, you know, we can move things around if an agency needs extra help one quarter,' Morrow said.
She added that because an agency may need less funds doesn't mean it's any less important.
Needs Inc., which provides food, essential items and resources to Laramie County residents in need, typically receives the most funds each quarter because of the size of the nonprofit and the number of people it serves.
Morrow said Needs Inc. has used the funds from Day of Giving in the past to purchase things like Hamburger Helper or large orders of food from the Rocky Mountain Food Bank.
Another beneficiary of the Day of Giving donations is Magic City Enterprises, which provides support to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Morrow said the funds have been used to pay the balance of the cost of special glasses not covered by insurance for some clients, to purchase a bed for a Magic City client who could not afford it, and supplies for clients to do crafts and make gifts.
Each year, Day of Giving spends around $70,000 on its year-round work. Morrow said she would happily spend more on the community if they received more donations. Two pledges cover all event and administrative fees not donated so that 100% of the funds received can go toward meeting the organizations' needs.
Going into its 20th year, Morrow said the work Cheyenne Day of Giving does is only possible because of the support from the community.
'It's not because of the board, because all we do is organize,' she said. '... It's the community that makes Day of Giving successful. It's the people that understand there's a hidden population, a huge hidden population, in our community that cannot provide for their families' life necessities without some help.'
Donations can be made to Day of Giving on its website or by check to P.O. Box 192, Cheyenne WY 82003, year-round.
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