MARQUETTE -- One of the most rewarding ways to give back for the holidays is volunteering, and there are several options available to those who are interested.
You can volunteer for the annual Christmas dinner taking place at the Ishpeming Elk's clubs on Christmas day. You can also help out a dinner hosted at the Salvation Army in Marquette.
"It's for people to come have socialization on Christmas day for people who are alone, people that may be new in town or people whose family is away so they don't have that social interaction on Christmas that everybody should have," said Dave Aro, Elks Club.
However, if you have family coming into to town or if you are traveling you can also donate money to organizations helping those in need over the holidays. The Salvation Army is still ringing their bells. They have raised $75,000 so far, but are hoping to reach their goal of $100,000.
You can also donate canned foods for their pantry, or feeding program. They also toy shop, so you can drop off any gift items. Organizers say the gifts will go to providing a Christmas for kids.
"The need is not only great during the holiday season, the need is great throughout the year. The funds we raised not only help provide Christmas, but also go to help provide all programs throughout the year," said Captain Joel Arthur, Salvation Army.
Another option is checking if a local church to see if they're looking for toy donations.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forWLUC