It\u2019s snowing, holiday lights are up and hot cocoa season has officially arrived. As campus settles into the \u201cMost Wonderful Time of the Year,\u201d it\u2019s also a perfect moment to think about how we can support our Syracuse neighbors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With a harsh winter on the way, an extra meal, warm jacket or donated gift can make a real difference for families across Central New York. Volunteering also gives students a chance to step off campus, learn about the broader Syracuse community and feel more connected to the place we call home throughout our college careers. From food banks to book drives, we\u2019ve outlined a few ways students can give back this holiday season!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Several pantries near campus are welcoming donations. The Coach Mac Food Pantry<\/a>, located right here on campus, accepts food, personal care items, financial donations and volunteers. Donations can be dropped off in the lower level of Hendricks Chapel on Main Campus and at 161 Farm Acre Rd. on South Campus. The pantry also encourages students to volunteer to help organize the pantry and assist with produce deliveries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other local pantries include Food Bank of Central New York<\/a>, University United Methodist Church<\/a>, Syracuse Rescue Mission<\/a> and more<\/a>. Most accept in-person or Amazon Wish List donations, and financial contributions are always welcome. Volunteers are also needed<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can even host a food or toiletry drive<\/a> in your residence hall or student org\u2014Food Bank of Central New York provides signs, donation tools and preferred items lists online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The University\u2019s annual coat drive, Operation Orange Warmup<\/a>, is collecting new and gently used coats through this Friday, Dec. 5. Drop-off locations<\/a> include Hendricks Chapel, Schine Student Center and Goldstein Student Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Local shelters, such as the Rescue Mission Alliance of Syracuse<\/a>, need winter socks, hygiene kits, undergarments and warm clothing. Donations can be dropped off at 155 Gifford St. Mondays through Fridays, 8:30 a.m-4:30 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other nearby organizations that welcome winter gear donations include InterFaith Works<\/a>, The Salvation Army<\/a>, Goodwill<\/a> and Vera House<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many nonprofits create wish lists for kids and caregivers, making it easy to donate a specific item. Local drives<\/a> include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n From board games and puzzles to blankets and hygiene kits, every little gesture helps families across Central New York celebrate the season. You can volunteer at drives, assemble gift baskets or simply donate an item or two that you no longer use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This holiday season, even small acts of kindness make a big difference. Drop a few cans of beans in a bin, knit some cozy mittens, wrap up a stuffed animal or spend an hour prepping kits. Let\u2019s keep each other warm and fed this holiday season. Happy holidays, Orange community!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Written By Kate Jackson<\/strong> \u201926, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s snowing, holiday lights are up and hot cocoa season has officially arrived. As campus settles into the \u201cMost Wonderful Time of the Year,\u201d it\u2019s also a perfect moment to think about how we can support our Syracuse neighbors. With a harsh winter on the way, an extra meal, warm jacket or donated gift can…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":324,"featured_media":5861,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,184],"tags":[295,108,542,353,78,7,141,352,351],"class_list":["post-5859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beyond-the-hill","category-student-leadership","tag-central-new-york","tag-city-of-syracuse","tag-cny","tag-community-service","tag-off-campus","tag-things-to-do","tag-volunteer","tag-volunteer-opportunities","tag-volunteering"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/experience.syracuse.edu\/the-peel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/experience.syracuse.edu\/the-peel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/experience.syracuse.edu\/the-peel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/experience.syracuse.edu\/the-peel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/324"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/experience.syracuse.edu\/the-peel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5859"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/experience.syracuse.edu\/the-peel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5859\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5860,"href":"https:\/\/experience.syracuse.edu\/the-peel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5859\/revisions\/5860"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/experience.syracuse.edu\/the-peel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/experience.syracuse.edu\/the-peel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/experience.syracuse.edu\/the-peel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/experience.syracuse.edu\/the-peel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Donate Winter Gear<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Join a Gift Drive or Toy\/Book Drive<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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