Twenty-three days until Christmas.

As people make their shopping lists and fuss and fret over what to give friends and family, many gift-givers may forget to add the needy, the elderly and the lonely to their Christmas gift lists.

There are many ways of spreading the Christmas cheer to the less fortunate. Sometimes all it requires is some time and love rather than money.

“There are more needs here than people can meet,” said Kathryn Andre, volunteer coordinator at Heartland Senior Services. “Although we have about 500 volunteers, we could always do with more.”

She said one of the ways people can help during the Christmas season is by volunteering their time.

“They can help address Christmas cards, take the seniors shopping or take them to see the town and the lights,” Andre said. “People can also help decorate the place so it looks more festive, or they could come and participate in a sing-along.”

She said another way volunteers can bring smiles to lonely faces this season is to participate in the “Friendly Visitors” program at Heartland.

“People help the senior citizens by visiting them at least once a week,” Andre said. “They can read newspapers, help them with their checks, but basically just visit, talk with them and be their friends.”

Heartland also has a chore service where volunteers can go to the senior citizens’ homes and help out with household tasks like washing windows, Andre said.

“Some people’s homes haven’t had their windows cleaned in years,” she said.

During this time of the year, she said regular volunteers are usually not available because most of them go back home for the holidays.

“We would love people to come and help us out and make a difference in someone else’s life this Christmas,” Andre said.

Anyone interested in volunteering their time this season at Heartland Senior Services can call 233-2906.

“Calls will be taken on a one-to-one basis,” Andre said. “We’ll see what people are comfortable with and match them up with suitable senior citizens.”

People also can help out this holiday season by giving donations.

“We accept cash donations, food vouchers and non-perishable items,” said Linda L. Morische, executive director of the Story Country Volunteer Center. “We collect new clothing, toys and games for children and for the elderly and the disabled; we accept non-perishable foods, mittens, scarves, sweatshirts and pants and other clothing.”

The Story County Christmas Closet, sponsored by the volunteer center, targets families who meet the 150 percent poverty guideline, Morische said.

“Names, genders and ages of children are given to us, then parents come to the closet to shop,” Morische said. “Each individual gets a large and small gift, a blanket and a $20 grocery voucher.”

Morische said there are about 400 families in Story County who meet the 150 percent poverty guideline.

The volunteer center accepts donations of all kinds, and Morische said the only criterion is that the items must be new. She also said volunteers are welcome to come and give some of their time at the center.

The Christmas Closet helps out about 150 to 200 isolated elderly and disabled people — people who have no contact with their families. Morische said names of these individuals are given to them, and between Dec. 16 and 24 volunteers deliver goods and gifts to them.

One other way to participate in the giving and sharing spirit of the season is through Worldly Goods, a non-profit, volunteer organization that sells items made by people mainly from Third World countries. Money from the sales of goods pays for food, education, health care and housing for low-income people.

“Most of the lives of the people from the producer regions for the products are seriously threatened,” said store manager Jo Ann Huss, citing the recent weather disasters in Bangladesh and Honduras. “By making purchases, one would be helping these people by sending them a continuous message that their lives are worth returning to.”

Some of the goods available at Worldly Goods, 223 Main St., include Christmas decorations, games, table mats and other items from about 35 countries. Huss said the store has products from India, Honduras, the Philippines, Vietnam, Haiti and other non-European countries.

“For the Christmas season, we have ornaments from places like India,” Huss said. “We also have different styles of the Nativity which reflect different cultural aspects.”

The price range of products can be anywhere from 50 cents to $250. Even though some people might consider some of the items to be expensive, Huss said they are worth purchasing because they have great value in terms of uniqueness.

“The products that we have are good quality, unique and are hand-crafted,” she said. “They are treasures to own and fun to give. Our prices are reasonable compared to other stores or the prices found in catalogs.”

Apart from buying gifts at the store, Huss also said volunteers are welcome to give their time.