The ISU Volunteer Placement Center has teamed up with the Story County Christmas Closet to help children, families and the elderly throughout the holiday season.

“Several fraternities and sororities choose to contribute and help organize donations,” said Linda Morische, executive director of the Story County Christmas Closet.

The Christmas Closet helps 400 families in 15 Story County towns registered with the organization, Morische said.

“Each family picks out an unwrapped large and small gift for each child,” she said. “They also each receive a new blanket and a $20 grocery voucher for one of three grocery stores.”

The organization also makes bags filled with Christmas items for the elderly and disabled, Morische said.

On Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Iowa State students can bring Christmas Closet donations to the Memorial Union, said Thomas Potter, director of the ISU Volunteer Center.

Potter said the idea was to “try to get ISU involved” in the project.

“I was kind of happy to see the amount of people involved on campus,” Potter said.

In ISU’s fifth year of involvement with the Christmas Closet, Morische said there are four volunteers from campus and about 150 volunteers total.

Potter said the items are divided into five categories based on the ages of the children.

“Donate anything you would think would be a good present,” Potter said.

Morische said more gifts are needed for newborns and teenagers.

“Put yourself in the place of the person and what you would like to get,” she said.

“We will accept cash donations,” Morische said, and the organization is “willing to pick up any donations. All you need to do is call the office.”

Potter said the goal of the program is to get everyone in a giving mind-set and get more people involved each year.