By: Kayla Williams / Asst. News Director

St. CLOUD, Minn.— Xcel Energy employees and community volunteers spent the day giving the CentraCare Health Foundation in St. Cloud a fall cleaning as part of Xcel Energy’s 16th annual Day of Service.

Volunteers helped with outdoor tasks including mulching, picking up debris, tending to flowers and shrubs, cutting down dead branches, pulling weeds, and washing windows.

Xcel Energy Day of Service was created to honor the victims, survivors, first responders, and others involved in the September 11 attack.

Each year, Xcel Energy hosts the event to give employees and members of the community the opportunity to volunteer on projects that help benefit nonprofit organizations and the communities they serve

The program continues to impact the community, and last year, more than 2,900 Xcel Energy individuals offered 8,900 volunteer hours, along with packing more than 81,000 meals and assembling about 6,600 supply kits for teachers and students.

The volunteer work has benefited nearly 100 nonprofits and generated an economic impact of more than $321,000.