As the holiday season quickly approaches, the theme of giving is ever-present. Besides doling out presents, Iowa State students have plenty of opportunities to give of themselves this holiday season.

The Iowa State University Volunteer Center, which works in conjunction with the Volunteer Center of Story County, is a resource that many students utilize to get connected with volunteering opportunities.

The ISU Volunteer Center was established in 1969 and has a mission to give students experiences that will be for the betterment of various nonprofit businesses and the communities they aid.

Mandy Smallridge, president of the ISU Volunteer Center, explains that the Volunteer Center finds out about different volunteer opportunities through contacting non-profit agencies as well as through the Volunteer Center of Story County. Different agencies that partner with the Volunteer Center include the Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA), the Boys and Girls Club, Special Olympics and local nursing homes.

“We typically have a monthly volunteer opportunity that we recruit volunteers for. This semester the food drive is our ‘big thing,'” Smallridge said. The food drive will benefit MICA, a local food bank in Ames. The center will be collecting nonperishable canned goods during finals week at the entrance of the West Student Office Space and at the residence halls.

“We’re planning on taking shopping carts throughout the dorms, collecting food,” Smallridge said.

The club will also be soliciting volunteers to aid in sorting gifts for the Volunteer Center of Story County’s ‘Seasons of Giving’ gift drive December 6.

The Volunteer Center of Story County offers volunteers opportunities by matching volunteer interests with over 115 affiliated nonprofit human service agencies throughout the county. The Seasons of Giving project is a coordinated event where the Story City Volunteer Center collects gifts, clothing, groceries and school supplies to disperse to families in need as well as the elderly and persons with disabilities.

Executive director of the center Georgia Grant explains, “It’s nice to volunteer around this time, especially for the people who might not have the brightest holiday.”

The center collects names of families from local schools, churches, and human service agencies. Gifts are collected at the center and packages are made for elderly and disabled Dec. 6 and 7.

Families that are invited to participate in the event pick out gifts December 13-15.

“We can use all the help we can with the Seasons of Giving. All together, we need about 200 to 300 volunteers to help by sorting gifts, making packages and setting up for the event,” Grant said.

Kelly Welch, the Story County Volunteer Center coordinator, said Iowa State students contact them frequently throughout the year to get involved with various events they have to offer.

“We have a lot of groups that call into our office to volunteer—from dorm floors, to clubs to greek houses to someone needing to fulfill a class requirement,” she explained.

Other organizations they work with are Habitat for Humanity, local libraries, food pantries and day care centers.

Hina Patel, adviser for the ISU Volunteer Center, mentioned that the Volunteer Center does a good job of connecting students with opportunities that are in their areas of personal interest.

“Volunteering can not only be an opportunity to serve the community but also can be used as a r‚sum‚ builder for students.”

Patel is involved with the Volunteer Center as a part of her graduate assistantship to cultivate service learning on campus.

“We serve in the different life roles that we play: as a friend, mother, worker … We, as a whole need to add another role to our life: community member,” she states. “Every volunteer opportunity has the potential to better oneself and society.”