’Tis the season to give back

The holiday season is a time for giving — especially to the less fortunate. Local organizations offer plenty of opportunities to give both material gifts and time.

St. Agnes Cathedral

At St. Agnes Cathedral, there are many ways to give. According to Sister Kathleen Murphy, the outreach coordinator and pastoral associate, donations to the food pantry are welcome. “We do get a lot of food for Thanksgiving, but that goes very quickly,” she said.

St. Agnes will also take clothes, although it can accept only winter items right now. “We can’t hold spring clothing through the winter,” Murphy said. The church also accepts any and all toys, as long as they are new, and gift cards for stores such as Target or Best Buy or movie theaters

Call the Parish Outreach office at (516) 678-1854 for volunteer opportunities to distribute food, clothing and toys, which start in mid-December.

St. Mark’s United Methodist Church

St. Mark’s United Methodist Church is helping specific families this winter — two from the women’s shelter at Bethany House, and two from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which helps children with life-threatening illnesses. “There’s a great need out there,” the Rev. Robert Grimm said. “Our congregation is small. We’ve limited ourselves to four families this year, about 15 individuals all together.”

The families from Bethany House mostly need clothes, and some small gifts. The full registry is available at St. Mark’s by contacting the church office at (516) 766-2080, or emailing Grimm at pastorbob.grimm@gmail.com.

St. Mark’s is also giving gifts wrapped in white tissue for young children — ages 2 to 6 — at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center. Gifts should be labeled and marked for the age and sex. The church is also collecting mittens, scarves and hats for children.

The church provides food year-round to Bethany House. This month’s delivery is on Dec. 13. Members of the congregation usually prepare the food at the church kitchen, but they are preparing it beforehand this month because of the holidays. Interested volunteers can contact the church office for more information.

The Hispanic Brotherhood