‘Tis the season of giving! November and December have arrived, and Titans, your school and state are calling for you to give thanks, as well as give back this season. 

Although this season is often mistaken for a chance to give in to materialistic desires, there is much more to Christmas and Thanksgiving. It is the season of self-reflection and appreciation. It is a time to look at what you have and be thankful for it all but also work hard to give back to those unfortunate enough within your community. 

From donation drives to volunteer opportunities, there is a chance for everyone to get involved and make a difference. One simple yet meaningful event to take part in is Thunderbird High School’s Annual St. Mary’s Food Drive which is taking place this month and ending in early December. Thunderbird’s Key Club has partnered with St. Mary’s Food Bank and will be collecting canned food in order to help St. Mary’s provide the homeless with meals. Canned food can be dropped off in the main office and media center, as well as in certain classrooms. If you are unable to donate, no worries; Key Club will also be volunteering at Andre’s House, a hospitality center, in an effort to first-handedly feed the homeless on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. The school will also be partnering up with Adopt a Family beginning the first week of December. Students will have the chance to “adopt” a low-income family and make their Christmas a little brighter by fulfilling their Christmas wish list before going on winter break on Dec. 14, 2022. Everyone is welcome to participate; students can even collaborate and complete a wish list together. As Esther Malish, senior and Key Club President, exclaims, “participating in Adopt-A-Family is the perfect way to wrap up our first semester and get together with friends to look beyond ourselves and meet the wants and needs of others who are unable to do so themselves.” Mr. Fowler, Thunderbird’s Media Center Director, is also running a children’s book drive til the end of December. Both new and gently used books can be donated.

As for volunteer opportunities within the community, Salvation Army has partnered up with AZ Family to hold its annual Christmas Angel in hope of providing families in Arizona with Christmas gifts similar to Adopt a Family. However, the Salvation Army’s opportunity is said to be even more convenient. A Salvation Army representative claims that “taking part is easy to do. Stop by the Christmas Angel Tree at one of 12 Arizona shopping malls. Take a tag off the tree. Find the gift. Then return it to our customers.” Even if you are unable to go out and shop, you are still able to participate and shop off their Christmas Angel Tree lists online with just a few clicks using the following link: https://give-sw.salvationarmy.org/campaign/the-salvation-army-christmas-angel-arizona-2022/c433903. Another similar volunteer opportunity is Operation Christmas Child, a service project of Samaritan’s Purse which is an international Christian relief and evangelism organization. The goal of Operation Christmas Child is to deliver Christmas joy and “the Good News of Jesus Christ to children in need all around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes” as Franklin Graham, their founder states. Shoe boxes are built online using the following link: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/buildonline/. Donors first select which gender they would like to donate to. They then add essential items like school supplies and hairbrushes, followed by one “wow” like a doll, soccer ball, or stuffed animal. After that, donors choose three small toys and two accessories to donate. Once completed, they have the option to add a custom note for the child who is receiving the gift to read. The total cost of each box is $25, and boxes can be completed at any time and day; there is not any deadline, so take advantage of this opportunity, if not both, and get involved. If you are unable to participate in either one, there are many more drives being held by schools and churches within the valley. Some local hospitals even take clothing donations for newborns in the NICU, the neonatal intensive care unit. If you cannot find a close-by service project to take part in, come up with your own because change starts with you! Home-baked goods could be donated to an area shelter. Winter essentials like blankets, gloves, and jackets could also be passed out to the homeless or Cancer patients in hospitals undergoing chemo. Collecting and donating hygiene items for a Women’s shelter is also another great way to give back this season. 

Regardless of whether or not it is a sponsored and organized volunteering event, you should devote this season to appreciating what you have and providing others with the same feeling and similar experiences, so Titans, get on out there and make it the most wonderful time of the year for those who are less fortunate within your community by lending a helping hand!