asheville.com news: Asheville Area Non-Profits Need Contributions to Assist Area Residents Through Holiday Season

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Help Out Over the Holidays! Area Non-Profits Offer Opportunities to Give

The Asheville community cares. With the colder months and the holidays approaching, local non-profit organizations need your support to make the season bright. No amount of time, money, or talent is too small to help your neighbors this winter.

What’s in your pantry? MANNA Food Bank needs non-perishable food donations including -but not limited to - soup, mac and cheese, dried beans, oatmeal, grits, canned meat, powdered milk, rice, and cereal. Volunteers and monetary donations are always welcome as well; visit www.mannafoodbank.org for more information.
- MANNA is also looking for volunteers to staff the MANNA Ingles Giving Tree at Asheville Mall this holiday season. Volunteers give out MANNA materials and accept donations from 10AM-10PM. Contact Karen Etheredge at 828-299-3663 x232 or ketheredge@secondharvest.org to sign up to help, or for more information.

Shine your halo and flex your wings; The Salvation Army needs angels!

Buy gifts for a child in need through The Salvation Army Angel Tree program. Look for Angel Trees at the Asheville Mall. Call 828-253-4723 or email Marilyn Storey at merstorey2@aol.com for more information.
Donate new toys to The Salvation Army Toy Shop for distribution to children in Buncombe County. Call 828-253-4723 or email Marilyn Storey at merstorey2@aol.com for more information.
Volunteers are also needed to set up the Toy Shop, to pack food boxes for distribution, to assist families in selecting toys for their children at The Salvation Army's Distribution Days, and to help with collection and storage of toys at the Smokey Mountain Toy Run. Call 828-253-4723 or email Marilyn Storey at merstorey2@aol.com for dates, times, and more information about these projects.

Be a pal - a Santa Pal, that is. Visit the site on the upper level of the Innsbruck Mall in the old Family Christian Bookstore on Tunnel Road in Asheville to donate money or new toys. Visit www.santapal.org or call 828-258-3230 for more info.

For the second year in a row, Denny's restaurants will host Salvation Army "Angel Trees" in hundreds of participating restaurants nationwide to help families ease financial worries during Christmas. The Angel Tree program gives donors an easy way to provide new, unopened toys and gifts to kids who might otherwise go without. Visit your local Denny's to find an Angel Tree this holiday season!

WNC Toys for Tots is a locally operated campaign for the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. All donations stay in the WNC community to benefit needy children here at home. Visit www.wnctoysfortots.org to find drop-off locations and more information on the program.

Warm hearts and homes this winter; donate to Eblen Charities to adopt a family over the holidays, donate money or goods, and contribute to Project Share, which providesheating for families in need. Visit www.eblencharities.org for more information.

Give a gift from the heart. Hearts With Hands is offering two opportunities to brighten a holiday. For more information, visit http://www.heartswithhands.com.

Operation GI Joe/GI Jane: Many of our men and women will be stationed in foreign theatres and will not be able to come home for Christmas. Unfortunately, many of these soldiers do not have anyone at home to support or maintain their morale. Operation GI Joe/GI Jane is a program designed to share compassion and goodwill throughout the Christmas season with our brothers and sisters serving in the military.Share a little joy by putting together care packages for our tropps overseas.
Gulf Coast Christmas: Hurricane Katrina completely devastated the Gulf Coast of our country. Many of the victims of this disaster, even a year later, are still living in temporary FEMA housing, have no jobs, and are without any possibility of the situation getting better. Hearts With Hands, Inc. wants to provide a 'Christmas from the Heart' for the Gulf Coast victims of Hurricane Katrina. Share your compassion with those who are less fortunate with a financial gift this holiday season.

Are you good with ribbons and bows? CarePartners Health Services are looking for volunteers to wrap gifts at the CarePartners Festival of Trees in Asheville Mall this holiday season. Gifts are wrapped for a donation to CarePartners Hospice. Contact Sharon Pearson at 828-277-4888 or spearson@carepartners.org.

Don't forget the Red Cross this holiday season! Give the GIFT OF LIFE at the Asheville - Mountain Area Chapter of the American Red Cross. For blood drive schedules and currtent blood needs, click here. Call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE to schedule an appointment to give.

For more information on volunteer opportunities in the Asheville area and agencies looking for help this holiday season, visit the Asheville.com Community Guide. More info is also available at www.211wnc.org

(Images provided by MANNA and Toys for Tots. Story provided by MainStreet Online intern Sally Stokes.)