By Murphy Garcia, editor
Because winter break is on its way, a quality way to spend the two weeks is by volunteering. This holiday, volunteer and give back to the community.
Tis the season to give a couple hours out of the day and helping someone in need. There is never a wrong time.
One place is the Anderson Animal Shelter located in South Elgin. From cleaning up to just having fun with the young ones, there are many areas to choose to help out at this shelter, and there is one for everybody.
People can walk and train with the dogs outdoors, giving them a chance to let loose and have fun. Dog walking is every weekday from seven a.m. to six p.m. and on weekends from eight a.m. to four p.m. Walkers must be 17 and older.
If you’re not quite 17 but enjoy cats, there are opportunities to hold and care for them. The shelter also needs volunteers to help with the in-house care. This involves cleaning out cages, changing dirty water to fresh, mopping floors and sometimes giving baths to the animals. Although this may not be the most glamorous choice, it is necessary for healthy and happy animals. To find out more information on what you can do to help, go to www.andersonanimalshelter.com.
The Community Clothes Closet (CCC), located at St. John UCC, also has many opportunities to help out. Located in Aurora, the CCC is always in search of helpers to sort, process and hang clothes. Volunteer hours run every Tues. from five to eight p.m., every Wednesday from nine to noon and three to six p.m. and every Thursday from one to four p.m. For further information, see the CCC has a page on Facebook with contacts and times and dates.
St. Gall Church in Elburn always needs help with the annual holiday events, not just Christmas. Setting up, attending and the afterward clean-up are all a part of each event, the turkey dinner, bingo night, retreats, rummage sales. Also, at St. Gall, every month a basket is passed around filled with tags asking for donations to the local food pantry. With only five or six items on each tag, the community is helping feed a family in need. The director of religious education (DRE) at the church, Darlene Biggs, expresses how she feels about giving back.
“Volunteering is helping, caring, and going beyond our comfort zone at times,” Biggs says, “volunteering is contagious too, when you volunteer you can grab your friends and have them join in”.
Naming only a few chances to give this season, there are always local food trucks and banks, homeless shelters, shoveling the elder neighbor’s driveway and helping out at the local church. Although this time of year is the busiest and best time to help out, volunteering is can be done anywhere at anytime. There is always an opportunity to help out in the community. There is someone out there counting on the help needed. Make somebody happy this season, and your Christmas will be much brighter.
