With the holidays approaching, many organizations are looking for volunteers to help stock food pantries or donate holiday gifts. If you’ve been wondering to yourself “how can I volunteer?” the team at P.B. Bell is here to help. We’ve put together a list of nice things to do for people in the Arizona community this holiday season.
The Salvation Army of Arizona offers plenty of ways to lend a helping hand during the holiday season. You could sponsor a Toy Drive, sort, organize and pack donated items or spend time with children in need. The Salvation Army has locations all throughout Arizona, including Glendale, Chandler, and Mesa.
Valley residents can also take part in the Christmas Angel initiative to help spread holiday cheer for families in need. All you have to do is stop by a Christmas Angel tree at any of the 12 Arizona shopping malls, take a tag off of the tree, find the gift, and then return it to their volunteers. The Salvation Army team will handle the rest — no need to sweat over wrapping any gifts!
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
St. Vincent de Paul is always looking for volunteers to help with making sandwiches and opening cans in the kitchen, as well as sorting and cleaning the food bank. However, around the holidays they are looking for volunteers to help with specific holiday related activities. Volunteers can go by themselves or with an organized group. Last year, P.B. Bell hosted a sock drive, encouraging employees and vendors to donate and successfully, the team gathered more than 3,200 socks for St. Vincent de Paul.
Ryan House is a hospice care center located in Phoenix, designed to provide highly individualized care at no cost for patients under 18 years old. They aim to provide end-of life care in a home-like setting. Volunteers are extremely important members of the Ryan House team. They have a teen board of high school students, administrative volunteers who help with data entry and mailings, a speakers bureau to share the Ryan House mission, as well as community, corporate, and care team volunteers.
For people looking for a nice thing to do for people that is also fun, look no further than United Food Bank. United Food Bank will turn up the music as volunteers sort and pack emergency food bags for Arizona residents in need. Volunteers must sign up in advance and must be 16 years of age or older to volunteer to distribute food. Other ways to volunteer include hosting a food drive or fundraiser.
Arizona Helping Hands is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping children in foster care through programs including Basic Needs, Back to School, Birthday Dreams and more. Volunteers must submit an application. People looking to help this holiday season can donate to their Holiday Toy Drive or host their own.
The Child Crisis Center in Arizona helps vulnerable children in the community by providing them a safe environment free from abuse and neglect. They are not currently looking for volunteers for onsite opportunities, however, individuals can help from home through a number of ways. This can include creating a Facebook fundraiser, taking a virtual tour, and more. Our team at P.B. Bell is also hosting a general donation drive from December 1 – 9 to gather toys, wish list items, essentials, and more. To get involved, please visit any drop-off location at one of our P.B. Bell community’s leasing offices to donate items.
There are so many places looking for volunteers this holiday season. No matter where you choose to donate your time and resources, you will be helping to spread cheer and kindness this holiday season in Arizona. If you volunteer this holiday season, we want to see! Be sure to tag us @pbbellapts so we can follow along!