With the countdown to Christmas well underway, many Indianapolis parents and grandparents are piling shopping carts high with toys, electronics and designer apparel.
Yet in other families, there are children who have never experienced the excitement of new clothes and toys. Each year, children wake up to a tree with no gifts as their families struggle to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads.
However, it’s not too late to spread some of your holiday cheer through volunteering and community donations. Define the spirit of the holidays for someone other than those in your own home by giving a little more.
Following are a few places to volunteer around the city.
Shepherd Community Center
Not only can one volunteer throughout the year at Shepherd Community Center, they also have a great amount of Christmas events for parents and children. Shepherd Community Center’s Christmas Store 2014 gives parents the opportunity to not only receive gifts for their children, but the chance to choose those gifts as well, thanks to generous community donations. Volunteers have the option of welcoming families as they arrive, act as a shopping guide, assist in wrapping donated gifts and loading gifts into vehicles. The store will be open Dec. 22 from noon until 8 p.m. and Dec. 23 from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. For more information, visit volunteer.shepardcommunity.org/Christmas/christmasstore.
Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana Inc.
Founded in 1980, this non-profit offers a number of opportunities for individuals and groups to give back to their local communities. Anyone over the age of 9 can participate in Gleaners’ events or volunteer at local warehouses. Approximately 27 percent of Marion County residents who are eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) do not currently receive benefits and Gleaners is on a mission to close the gap. They are currently looking for 20 volunteers who are able to commit a minimum of four hours per week or 10 hours per month over six months. For more information on this volunteer opportunity and others at Gleaners, visit gleaners.org.
Toys for Tots
With six days until Christmas, Toys for Tots, arguably one of the nation’s biggest charities is gearing up for their toy drive with partners such as Hasbro, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Disney and many more. Those wishing to participate can donate a toy at a local toy drop location, host a Toys for Tots event at their home, office or other venue and collect toys or volunteer at a local warehouse. In Central Indiana, there are more than 250 toy drop off locations. For a full list of locations and more information, visit Indianapolis-in.toysfortots.org.
Angel Tree
More than 2.7 million American children have incarcerated parents and Angel Tree, a program of Prison Fellowship, reaches out to the children of inmates and their families. Donors are able to give a monetary donation once, monthly or register a group. The group will then receive Angel Tree names of children and their wish list to display to members of their group. Members then purchase, wrap and deliver presents to the designated location. For more information, visit prisonfellowship.org/programs/angel-tree/.
Family Giving Tree
If giving back in your local area just isn’t enough for you, why not spread the cheer to other parts of the nation? Family Giving Tree supports underserved children in seven counties in the state of California. In those counties, over 353,000 students qualify for the Federal Free & Reduced Price Meal Program. Those who would like to participate can give both monetary and item donations. Donors are also able to shop for a specific child. More than 1,280 gifts have been provided and more than $35,169 donated for children. For more information, visit familygivingtree.org.
Looking to volunteer?
There are tons of websites dedicated to finding volunteer opportunities for participants. Following are a few to assist in your search.
How many volunteered in 2013?
More than 62.6 million in the U.S. volunteered through or for an organization at least once between Sept. 2012 and Sept. 2013
Women continued to volunteer at a higher rate than men across all age groups, educational levels, and other major demographic characteristics
Those aged 35 – 44 were most likely to volunteer
About 18.5 percent of African-Americans volunteered
Married persons volunteered at a higher rate (30.7 percent) in 2013 than did those who had never married (20 percent) and those with other marital statuses
Among employed persons, 27.7 percent volunteered
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
