HARRISONBURG, Va. (ROCKTOWN NOW) – The United Way of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County’s Day of Action is underway at 24 schools and nonprofits across the area.

That includes a large mulching project at the Valley Program for Aging Services on South High Street in the city. Rocktown Now witnessed volunteers from Sentara RMH and Nielsen Builders on site, taking a day off from their normal jobs to provide free labor for a popular community service.

United Way director Amanda Leech said that the day helps the volunteers as much as the organizations they’re serving.

“When you give back, whether it be your time, your talent, your treasure, it is good for your mental health, it’s good for your physical health,” Leech said. “There are countless studies about this, and you become part of something kind of larger than yourself. So, you get to know a community that you maybe didn’t know before.”

There are 24 service projects currently in the works across Harrisonburg and Rockingham County.