As we kickoff the holiday season, many charitable organizations are seeking donations and volunteers to help out people in need.

Toys for Tots

Nerdcore Toys and Collectibles, located in downtown Ellensburg, has set up a donation area in their storefront to help the organization Toys for Tots.

“We are a drop off location for Toys for Tots, which is a foundation that has been established by the U.S. Marine Corps,” Jason Shaw, owner of Nerdcore, said.

Nerdcore is a new business founded by Shaw and his wife, a professor in the Educational Foundations and Curriculum Department at Central.

“It’s very close to my heart because my father was a former marine or, as they say, ‘once a marine, always a marine,’” Shaw said.

Toys for Tots has drop-off locations in various locations around the world, in an effort to benefit families in need.

“It helps low-income families who can’t afford a Christmas [gift] for their children to be able contact Toys for Tots, and they will give a new toy for families to give to their children,” Shaw said.

Anyone in the community can drop off new, unwrapped toys anytime during Nerdcore Toys and Collectibles’ regular store hours.

President’s Annual Holiday Gift Project

At Central, the President’s Annual Holiday Gift Project helps families who may be in need of extra support during the holidays.

“We have about 100 kids who still need sponsorships. You can also donate money which we take to the store and buy gifts for kids who haven’t been sponsored,” Sarah Scott, administrative operations coordinator, said.

Scott is one of the primary organizers of the event along with Kim Dawson, executive assistant of the project.

According to Scott and Dawson, the gift project was started by Central President Ivory Nelson’s wife in the early ‘90s.

“Because of the calendar, we have to distribute [the gifts] before the end of the quarter because some of the recipients are involved with the Center for Early Childhood Learning,” Scott said.

Gifts were accepted through Dec. 2.

The president’s office worked with the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), Bright Beginnings and the Center for Early Childhood Learning.

“Requests vary widely from toys, to things like snow boots, winter clothes and things like that,” Scott said.

Donations were anonymous, and those who sponsored a child will get a list of that child’s age, gender and requests. The project will benefit over 300 children.

“It’s kind of a fun project to have,” Scott said. “There’s a lot of logistics but it’s really satisfying.”

Community events at the Moose Lodge

The Moose Lodge hosted their annual Thanksgiving dinner that was free and open to the community.

“This is our sixth year to have it here at the Moose Lodge. We can seat two hundred people at a time or better. We’re cooking thirty turkeys now, we put them in our big walk-in cooler and then the guys come and carve them up Monday,” Marilyn Edwards, a volunteer at the Moose Lodge, said.

This event was made possible with the help of several volunteers who served the food to the guests. In addition to the Thanksgiving dinner, the Moose Lodge hosted a variety of community events in November.

“We have a dinner every Wednesday night. The public can come to that without being a member and they get their main entree, coffee, dessert, salad bar all for ten dollars,” Edwards said.

Local businesses and clubs often assist the Moose Lodge in these community events.

“A lot of the Service clubs in town and some of the restaurants donate things for this dinner, it’s a community effort, it’s put on also by our senior activity center,” Edwards said.

In December, the Moose Lodge will organize a Christmas party for in the community.

“We have a ring toss, and they can take their pictures with Santa, pin the nose on Rudolph. We have a lot of little games for the kids to do,” Edwards said.

Other Events

Operation E.L.F. will take place on Dec. 12, organized by the Center for Diversity and Social Justice at Central. Registration ended on November 30th. This is primarily for non-traditional students to take part in a variety of activities, crafts, and more with their families.

Organizations like the FISH Food Bank and Habitat for Humanity regularly seek donations, especially as it gets colder outside.