A volunteer organization at the University of Guelph is stepping up to help you give back for the holidays.
Student Volunteer Connections is launching a Holiday Giving Guide, showcasing the needs of many non-profit and charity organizations around Guelph and Wellington County.
If the concept sounds familiar, it is.
The People and Information Network (PIN) had been doing this for several years, but the organization dissolved earlier this year.
“It’s difficult without having a volunteer centre in Guelph now,” said Helen Keen, who is heading up SVC. “It might be difficult for folks to know where to start looking, if they want to give back, so we’re hoping that this can help in that regard.”
The guide is set to launch Dec. 1 in a PDF format you can download from the SVC website.
“If organizations need monetary donations, then you’ll see what it is that that money would go towards, and why they need it,” she said.
“If people instead prefer to do some shopping, or some item donations, we’ve got a ton of organizations that have listed exactly what items would be helpful for them.”
She said a lot of organizations are looking for items to put into holiday gift baskets for children and youth, such as gift cards or specific items requested by youth.
There are also organizations in need or extra volunteer support at events over the holidays.
Call it a solution produced at the 11th hour. Keen said the organization didn’t really think about it until last week, when it was brought up by a couple community partners in a meeting that PIN would no longer be providing this resource.
She said students within the organization were able to pull together, make some phone calls and throw something together at the last minute.
Due to the short notice, Keen admitted it won’t be as detailed as what PIN had out there.
But the plan is to continue in PIN’s footsteps in future years, and take on the project on an annual basis.
