Between your holiday celebrations, family obligations, and the pressure of finding the perfect gift, this time of year can go by in a flash. However, during the holiday season, we are often reminded that it’s important to give back. Below are five easy ways to do just that by giving to those in need this holiday season.

Donate Items to Charity
If you have items such as clothes, shoes, blankets, furniture, or books that you’re not using anymore, consider donating them to your local charity. Most homeless shelters and soup kitchens accept gently used items. If you are based in Middle Tennessee, you can check out Hands On Nashville for a list of local volunteer and donation opportunities.

Volunteer at a Food Bank
Every community usually has local charities. This means that there are plenty of volunteering opportunities to help people in need. Nonprofits like homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and food pantries are often in need of an extra pair of hands. Ask around to see if there are any calls for volunteers. Or you can also visit in person the organization itself to see if they need some help. A great local organization that helps fight hunger is Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee. Ascend is proud to partner with Second Harvest to help distribute food to communities in need, and during the month of November, Ascend will be matching donations made to Second Harvest up to $25,000. You can help us fill empty plates this holiday season by donating online or by dropping off non-perishable food items to any of our Ascend branch locations by November 30.

Volunteer at an Animal Rescue
Find your local animal shelter list of items needed, like towels or blankets. If you’re feeling extra generous, the best way of all to help out a shelter is to adopt a shelter animal.

Help Build a Home
By volunteering with Habitat for Humanity or another similar organiz you can assist with the construction of a new home or refurbishing an existing home. Habitat for Humanity is also in need of donations to make these projects possible. A $10 gift could buy a box of nails for a project, and a gift of $150 could be a new front door for a home.

Buy Presents for Children in Need
Millions of children in America live in poverty and many will receive few or no toys this holiday season. By donating money or toys to organizations like Toys for Tots. Toys for Tots has locations in every state where toys can be dropped off for children in need. Donors are suggested to give toys that would be something they might purchase for their own child or relative. Most Toys for Tots locations give toys to children up to 12, but some accept toys for children ages 14-16 as well.

If you’ve got the time and means to give back this season, we hope this list gives you a few ideas on how you can help out your community this year. For more information about some of the organizations Ascend proudly partners with, visit ascend.org/community.