Community Corner

Guide to Giving Back in Weho This Holiday Season

The city lists several holiday-related volunteer and donation opportunities open to the public.

Looking for a way to give back this holiday season? There are a number of volunteer opportunities available with various nonprofit and social services agencies in the West Hollywood area. During the winter holiday season (November and December), some of these agencies host special events and programs that offer additional volunteer opportunities. Below is a list volunteer opportunities provided by the city of West Hollywood.

SOVA Food Pantry: The city of West Hollywood will be holding a food drive from Nov. 16 until Dec. 14 for the program that provides free groceries and an array of supportive services to nearly 12,000 individuals of all ages, ethnicities and religions each month. A bin will be located in the lobby of City Hall (8300 Santa Monica Blvd.) Non-perishable items can be dropped off during business hours. For more information, contact Craig Rhea at 323-848-6430 or crhea@weho.org.

Weho Drive: In the spirit of the holidays, the event includes a food and toy drive for the needy, and letter writing to veterans and wounded troops. Bring toys, children's books and non-perishable food items to donate between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3. The drive will take place in Council Chambers at the new , 624 N. San Vicente Blvd. For more information, call 323-848-6823 or email wehovcorps@gmail.com.

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Annual Clothing Giveaway: The National Council of Jewish Women/Los Angeles is giving away clothing items and children's books to more than 5,000 in-need and at-risk community members. Hundreds of volunteers are still needed for the giveaway on Sunday, Dec. 4, from 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at their location (543 N. Fairfax Ave.). Volunteers must be at least 12 years old. For more information, contact Melissa Tillman at 323-852-8505 or melissa@ncjwla.org.

Holiday Toy Drive: AIDS Project Los Angeles is holding their drive tentatively on Saturday, Dec, 10. APLA is is dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by HIV disease, reducing the incidence of HIV infection, and advocating for fair and effective HIV-related public policy. For more information, contact Jim Williams at jwilliams@apla.org.

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Ongoing Volunteer Opportunities:

GAY4GOOD aims to energize and mobilize the LGBT community to interact with city communities by volunteering time to various social welfare and environmental service projects. Each month they select a different nonprofit to donate time for a community service project.

LA Works is a nonprofit, volunteer action center that creates and implements hands-on community service projects throughout the greater Los Angeles area. Volunteer opportunities can be found on the website at www.laworks.com. Search “Thanksgiving” and “Holiday” to find holiday opportunities.

PAWS/LA is dedicated to preserving the loving bond between people and their companion animals and provides services to assist low-income seniors and people disabled by a life-threatening illness to keep and care for their pets. Find various volunteer assignments here. For more information, contact Raymundo Baltazar, Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator at rbaltazar@pawsla.org or 213-741-1960 x116.

Greater West Hollywood Food Coalition serves a "hot, fresh, and nutritious meal" every night, seven nights a week, throughout the year to the homeless and hungry. They are in need of volunteers throughout the year in picking up donated food, helping to prepare and serve the nightly meal, and helping their clients in a myriad of other ways including finding them a place to live. Visit www.gwhfc.org for more information.

Jewish Family Services Nutrition Program delivers meals to homebound clients on Thanksgiving Day with the assistance of volunteers. If interested, contact Alina Maldonado at amaldonad@jfsla.org or 323-937-5843.

If you know of others, please use the Comments field below to add the details. To have your event included in this list, please email daniellej@patch.com

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