The holidays are a busy season for local nonprofits, with many organizations working to provide support to families in need. If you want to help, you have options beyond making a financial donation. Here are some local ways to give your time, resources, or skills this holiday season.
Korey’s Joy Drive
📍 17 drop-off spots around Vancouver, including City Hall at 415 W 6th St and Firstenburg Community Center at 700 NE 136th Ave
📅 Wednesday, Nov. 11 through Wednesday, Dec. 9
Korey’s Joy Drive is the City of Vancouver’s holiday drive for kids, teens and adults in need, named for Korey Cochran, a city employee who died in 2017. This is its 12th year, and everything collected goes to seven local groups, including Share, YWCA Clark County, Fosterful and Randall Children’s Hospital.
Drop off a new, unwrapped toy for any age, or new winter coats, gloves, socks, shoes and hats for youth, teens and adults. There’s also an Amazon wish list that ships straight to the drive. It’s an easy errand stop, and picking out a gift is easy to do with kids.
Clark County Food Bank
📍 6502 NE 47th Ave, Vancouver, WA 98661
📅 Volunteer shifts Monday through Friday. Sorting runs 10 a.m. to noon.
Clark County Food Bank is the warehouse behind more than 50 partner agencies and 200 distribution sites across the county. It moves about 11.7 million pounds of food a year, and more than 4,800 volunteers gave their time last year.
A sorting shift means going through donated produce, meat and dairy from grocery stores, and training happens on your first shift. Repack shifts bag up bulk food on weekday afternoons and one evening a month, and groups of six or more can call ahead to come together, which works well for coworkers or a service club.
Share Hot Meals
📍 Share House, 1115 W 13th St, Vancouver, WA
📅 Meals are served every day of the year, with breakfast at 9 a.m.
Share has helped Vancouver neighbors facing hunger and homelessness since 1979, and runs four shelters along with its meal program. Its Hot Meals kitchen serves more than 12,000 free meals a month.
Volunteers help prepare and serve meals alongside staff, and a shift runs two to four hours. Kitchen volunteers need to be 18 or older, and it’s a good fit for a small group of three to five who want to serve together.
FISH of Vancouver
📍 906 Harney St, Vancouver, WA 98660
📅 Monday through Friday, plus Saturdays Nov. 21 and Dec. 19
FISH of Vancouver calls itself the largest food pantry in Vancouver and serves thousands of people each year. It started more than 50 years ago in a garage, and now runs its own pantry and warehouse downtown.
Volunteers stock shelves, check in guests, help people shop and carry groceries out to their cars. Weekday shifts run 9 a.m. to noon or 11:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., you start with a short tour and application, and teens 16 and up can help.
North County Community Food Bank
📍 17 NE 3rd Ave, Battle Ground, WA 98604
📅 Volunteer shifts weekday mornings and afternoons. Closed on holidays.
North County Community Food Bank has fed families in north Clark County for more than 40 years. It now serves more than 950 families every month out of its Battle Ground pantry.
Volunteers stock shelves, fill food boxes and bring carts of groceries out to people at the curb, and there’s a spot on the sign-up form for its Christmas programs. Shifts run 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. or 1:15 to 3:30 p.m., and it’s a good fit if you live up north and have a free weekday.
Give What Fits Your Capacity
You do not have to commit an entire weekend or spend a lot of money to help. A box of requested food items, a new toy, an hour of volunteer time, or a small donation can all support local holiday programs.
If your schedule is tight, look for a drop-off donation that you can add to your regular errands. If you have more time, consider a volunteer shift or family-friendly service event.
Find Your Way to Give Back
There are plenty of ways to support Clark County organizations during the holidays. You can donate something already on your shopping list, spend a few hours volunteering, or choose a program that lets your family or friends participate together.
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