The holiday season is here! Learn more about how you can give back to the community through our Holiday Volunteer Guide.

Night falls earlier in the evening, holiday lights are going up, and the season of thanks and reminiscing is upon us; the holidays are here! We often reflect this time of year on all the blessings we have, but we also look for ways to spread the joy to those who may not be as fortunate.

United Way receives many calls from people interested in giving back, so we have put together an annual Holiday Volunteer Guide to connect volunteers—like you!—to organizations with the greatest need. From toy and food drives to adopting a family, there are many ways to give back to the people in need in our community and many local nonprofits have special programs or services during the holidays.

“We would never be able to have the events that we do without the help of volunteers,” said the Event & Mission Outreach Coordinator at The Arc of East Central Iowa, Lexi Coberly. Every holiday season, The Arc hosts Wrapping for a Cause; a fundraiser that takes the hassle out of holiday wrapping.

“Last year we had almost 100 individual volunteers throughout the month [of December], and they wrapped for well over 900 hours. We set a record making just under $20,000!”

Wrapping for a Cause is just one of the many volunteer opportunities listed on our Holiday Volunteer Guide.

If you haven’t given back during the holiday season before or would like to know more about how you can get involved this year, take some time to explore all the seasonal volunteer opportunities today.

“Having volunteers willing to bring in that extra bit of holiday cheer is something we greatly appreciate,” said Willis Dady VISTA Volunteer Coordinator, Jade Riley.

For more information on holiday volunteering, please contact our Volunteer Engagement team at volunteer@uweci.org. And remember, you can always find opportunities that match your skills, interests, and schedule all year round at uweci.org/volunteernow.