by Grace Van Duyn

With the holidays coming up, people are beginning to get excited, hanging decorations or making their wishlists for presents. But many families and children struggle to celebrate the holidays and worry about the  expenses that come along with them. Although it seems like a big task to find a way to help all these families in need, local organizations have made it easier for volunteers to help.

Christmas in the City is an annual party for homeless and other families who struggle with poverty in Boston. Serving 6,000 children and families each year, the event provides free food, live entertainment, an indoor amusement park and gifts for everyone who attends. Families are offered free haircuts, health screenings, and dental screenings as well. This year’s event takes place on Dec. 21 and relies on thousands of volunteers.

Another local organization called Globe Santa is a charity that delivers gifts to local children who otherwise might not receive any. More than three million children have benefited from this during the past six decades. Sponsored by The Boston Globe newspaper, Globe Santa is a great organization to donate to during this holiday season and would help many children.

Marshfield Community Christmas is an all-volunteer organization that provides food certificates and toys for families struggling with expenses that come along with the celebration of the holidays. This program is the closest to us in Hanover and also gives people many different ways to volunteer. You can be as involved as delivering the gifts directly to people’s houses or you can make a  donation.

Maura’s Hopeful Mission out of Scituate provides meals, clothing, and other donations for the homeless in Boston. If you are interested in donating, you can check them out on Facebook. This organization is run year-round and welcomes any and all help throughout the year.

Many parents are not able to buy gifts for their children or to buy food for their holiday celebrations. But these families deserve to be as happy as those who are more fortunate. If you are looking to help those in our community, these are some great ways to help and offer numerous ways to get involved. These are just a few examples of groups helping the community during the holiday season and would be good opportunities to spread holiday cheer and maybe get some community service hours.

For more information:

https://christmasinthecity.org/news/

https://globesanta.org/aboutus.aspx#history

https://www.facebook.com/MaurasHopefulMission/

marshfieldcommunitychristmas.org