At the Topeka Zoo, volunteer Derek Brown and other members of an Evergy team spent part of September 18 hanging lights. It was one small assignment in a much larger day of service, but its usefulness was easy to see: people were lending their time to a place that had work waiting.
Across the Topeka area, volunteers took part in the 2026 Nancy Perry Day of Caring at more than 20 locations, according to local reporting. Community Action and the Topeka Zoo were among the sites named by WIBW, which reported that 750 volunteers logged 2,825 hours in connection with the effort. The report did not specify whether those totals covered both days of the event or the September 18 activities it described.
Many assignments, one shared purpose
The Nancy Perry Day of Caring was scheduled for September 17 and 18. United Way of Kaw Valley describes it as an opportunity for people from local businesses, organizations and the broader community to take part in service projects benefiting nonprofit agencies. Rather than one central gathering, the effort spread volunteers among sites where their work could support participating organizations.
That distributed structure gave the day a distinctly local shape. At one site, volunteers worked around the zoo. At another, teams contributed at Community Action. Other groups worked at locations that were not named in the available reporting. The assignments differed, but each placed volunteers in a specific community setting and gave the day a practical focus.
For the zoo team, that meant working with lights. WIBW reported that volunteers helped hang them, identifying Brown as an Evergy volunteer involved in the effort. The detail is modest, but it captures what this kind of service often looks like: not a single dramatic gesture, but a group taking on a job that needs hands and time.
A measurable show of participation
The reported numbers offer a sense of the effort’s scale. WIBW said 750 volunteers contributed 2,825 hours in connection with the Nancy Perry Day of Caring. Because the report did not establish the time period covered by those figures, they are best understood as the totals reported in connection with the September 18 coverage—not as a confirmed count for both scheduled event days.
Even with that distinction, the figures point to a substantial turnout. Hundreds of people made room for service, and the work was distributed among more than 20 locations. United Way of Kaw Valley’s description places the event within a broader goal: encouraging volunteerism while drawing attention to nonprofit agencies and the community needs they address.
The event is named for Nancy Perry, whom United Way identifies as having served as president and CEO of United Way of Greater Topeka for 24 years. Her name links the annual effort to a local history of organized service, while the day itself depends on current volunteers showing up for current projects.
That combination matters. Nonprofit organizations carry out ongoing work that a single volunteer event cannot replace, and one day of service does not resolve every need in a community. But coordinated volunteer hours can still make room for useful tasks, give organizations additional help, and offer residents a direct way to participate in the places around them.
In Topeka, the 2026 Nancy Perry Day of Caring was visible in many forms: lights being hung at the zoo, work taking place at Community Action, and teams spread across sites throughout the area. Its clearest achievement was also its simplest. People gave time, organizations made use of it, and a community’s willingness to help became something concrete enough to see.
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