As the holiday season gets under way, local groups are coordinating a variety of ways to help the less fortunate, from holiday dinners to food and toy drives. Here are just a few of the collections and fundraisers planned for the holiday season. If you know of other events in the coming weeks, let us know at (831) 637-5566 or [email protected].
Holte Holiday Dinner
One of the first events to kick-off the holiday season is the annual Holte Holiday Dinner, which includes a free meal that is open to anyone in the community on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
Larry Brown, who is helping to coordinate the Thanksgiving Holte Holiday dinner on Nov. 24, said the group is looking for volunteers and donations. Residents can donate turkeys or they can donate money to help the organizers purchase all the trimmings.
“We are cooking for quite a few people this year,” Brown said. “We are figuring around 400 to 450 (people.)”
Volunteers are needed on Nov. 23, at 5 p.m. and all day on Nov. 24, to help set up for the dinner, prep and serve food. The meal itself will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Brown said that is hard to keep track of how many volunteers they have each year because so many people show up without signing in. He said that the numbers attending the dinner have gone up a little, but it’s hard to tell because if they have any leftover food they donate it to the homeless shelter or Emmaus House.
Those interested in volunteering or making a donation, can call Larry Brown at 637-9037.
Community Food Bank food drive
The Community Food Bank for San Benito County kicked off its annual holiday food drive with donation barrels going out to local schools in October and more barrels have gone out to local businesses in recent weeks.
Charlie Rodriguez, the Holiday Food Drive coordinator, said that residents can donate nonperishable items such as dry goods, pasta, canned goods such as hot soups and baby food.
“We are seeing an increase in the need for baby food,” he said.
Families will be picking up Thanksgiving dinner fixings today, but the food drive will continue through Dec. 27.
In addition to the barrels this year, the Community Food Bank has launched a Virtual Store, where residents can donate money to a specific need at the food bank including Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
The Virtual Store page allows residents to choose how they would like their donation to be spent – on a healthy food backpack, a weekly food bag, an emergency food bag, administrative costs or the holiday dinner. Rodriguez noted that administrative costs were added as an option due to the delay of grant funding. Every person who donates will receive a green T-shirt that says, “I Donated My Lunch Money to the Community Food Bank of San Benito County.”
The goal for the holiday season is to collect a total of $120,000 in money and food donations. Rodriguez said that money donations are especially helpful since the Food Bank can provide five meals for each dollar donated.
“We are servicing well over 5,000 people,” he said. “I just want to encourage people, especially during the holiday season to give anything – a dollar or 10 pounds of food. We want to let them know we are here and its ever-growing.”
To donate to the Community Food Bank of San Benito County, visit one of the barrel donation sites around town at local schools and businesses, or visit the virtual store at http://communityfoodbankofsbc.org/give-help/virtual-store/. For more information or for families who would like to find out more about the Food Bank’s services, call 637-0340 or visit the office at 1133 San Felipe Road.
Chamberlain’s Children Center Toy Drive and Fundraiser
The band Soul Kiss and the Ridgemark Country Club will be hosting the third annual Chamberlain’s Children Center Toy Drive and fundraiser Dec. 10, from 9 p.m. to midnight, in the Ridgemark lounge. Admission is an unwrapped toy or cash donation of any size. Raffle prizes and refreshments will be given out throughout the evening. Toy donations can be dropped off in advance for a boy or girl, ages 7-18. All the proceeds will go to the Chamberlain’s Children Center in Hollister.
For more information, call Lori Castello at 801-8038 or Sara Ruvalcaba at 801-3602.
Make a child’s holiday brighter
CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates of San Benito County, is collecting gifts for San Benito County foster children. Those who would like to can help by sponsoring a child, donating unwrapped gifts or contributing a monetary donation to the CASA Holiday Project.
There are about 80 children in the dependency program, many of which are in foster or group homes. Most of these children will not be with their families to celebrate the holidays.Â
For more information, call CASA at 637-4992.
Jamie’s Toy and Canned Food Drive
The Hollister Downtown Association will present the 21st annual Lights on Celebration Nov. 26, with Jamie’s Toy and Canned Food Drive Holiday Car Show taking place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The entry fee for the show is two cans of food or an unwrapped toy to be distributed in San Benito County. Residents are welcome to donate food or an unwrapped toy. The food collected will go the Community Food Bank, while the organizers are still in the process of selecting a local nonprofit to receive the toys.
For more information e-mail [email protected], or call 636-8406 for more information.
Tree of Life
This year Hospice Foundation will again host the Tree of Life tree lighting ceremony in downtown Hollister. The event was cancelled last year due to low attendance, but the planning committee has decided to revive it this year and it will be followed by a holiday music concert at San Benito High School.
The Foundation is accepting donations of $25 for those who would like to donate a tribute light in honor or memory of someone. Donations of $200 will receive an etched ornament and for $225, the ornament will be engraved with up to 18 words.
The Hollister tree lighting at the Veterans Memorial Plaza will kick off the tree lighting season Dec. 3, at 5:30 p.m. The concert will be followed by a Holiday Music Concert in the San Benito High School auditorium.
Other ceremonies will be held in Salinas, King City and Monterey, the other communities supported by Hospice Foundation.
For more information, visit http://www.hospicegiving.org.
