Hey good people,

December is here, and so many of us are thinking about how we can ensure our community members have food, heat, and toys under their Christmas trees. It can be a little daunting figuring out how to begin your volunteer journey, but once you break the seal, it becomes a practice you can sustain long after the season’s over.

I’m not the type of reporter who tells you to go do something I wouldn’t or haven’t done, so I tried out a local volunteer opportunity for myself, and I can confirm you’ll want to keep giving back.

A few weeks ago, I spent an afternoon at the North Texas Food Bank, a great organization for a first-timer (or one who hasn’t volunteered in a long time). You first verify your identity via an online form that collects basic information such as your name, address, and date of birth. Once you have an account, you can browse a list of volunteer opportunities and choose a task and a shift that work for you.

What are the tasks?

Tasks range from loading boxes into cars to setting up pop-up distribution centers to packing boxes of grocery items. Shifts could be at the org’s headquarters in Plano or at a community center or church across the metro.

Each listing clearly addresses the environment you’ll be in and what will be expected of you.

My shift

My shift consisted of packing dry goods into boxes for distribution to elementary school students and their families. There were about 30 volunteers in my group, and several veteran volunteers were leading us. Some of us taped boxes together, some placed items into boxes moving down an assembly line, and others, like me, unpacked huge crates of goods so they were ready to hand to the packers.

I spent about 3.5 hours unpacking cans of tomato sauce, but boy, was it a workout. I kept thinking, “Lift with your knees, Joi,” but if I hadn’t been able to handle my task, there were plenty of other jobs that would have accommodated physical limitations.

What I did notice is that we packed so much, so quickly, that there really wasn’t much talking. Most people came with someone they knew, and it was still really quiet. If you’re more introverted or prefer hyper-focusing on a task, you’d love this shift.

By the end of the shift, we had packed 29,598 pounds of food for the school pantry. That’s about 22 pallets, 1,056 bags, and 24,640 meals. I was shocked that we could make such an impact in so little time. It really makes you realize that big community change can often happen from small gestures.

If you knew that just a few hours a month could help feed thousands of North Texans, would you stop making excuses and help? That’s what I asked myself. Scroll down for more wonderful area food pantries and ways you can give back in completely other ways across the metro.

There are several ways to support food pantries near you. (DC Studio/Shutterstock)

By Sydni Ellis

It’s the most wonderful time of the year—but it can also be one of the most stressful, especially if you are experiencing food insecurity and don’t know where your next meal is coming from. Many food pantries in the area are working to help provide meals and other goods for people, but they need your help.

One out of every six North Texas residents is food insecure, according to the North Texas Food Bank, which has served 116 million physical meals in the 2025 fiscal year. That number might creep even higher as grocery costs rise.

Whether you need food assistance, want to help those who do, or both, there are many amazing organizations in Dallas-Fort Worth helping the local community. This holiday season, donate your time, money, and food to one of these food pantries. Just a small effort can make a huge difference in the lives of your friends and neighbors.

Giving back doesn’t have to require money; your time, love, and special skills are what area organizations are looking for. (Krakenimages.com/Shutterstock)

Light the World’s giving machines are the latest and probably the easiest way to donate to a child’s holiday. They’re vending machines where you pick the gift you want to buy and pay for it on the spot. There are locations in McKinney, Arlington, and Grapevine.

The Christmas Project is a 30-year-old local organization that makes sure foster kids have gifts under the tree. They regularly take volunteers for a variety of tasks.

Grace services individuals in need in several ways, but hosts a Christmas Cottage every year that acts as a holiday pop-up shop for families. The shop is stocked with donated gifts and holiday decorations.

One Warm Coat is a national organization that works with local businesses to run coat drives. You can search for a nearby One Warm Coat partner here.

The Storehouse Community Center in Carrollton has a food pantry and a clothing closet, where they accept coat donations and need volunteers to organize intake and assist customers when they schedule a visit.

The Women’s Center in Fort Worth updates lists of needed items, and you can purchase them and drop them off.

Genesis Benefit Thrift Store is always accepting donations of clothing and home decor to aid women and children escaping abusive homes.

Say it with Your Chest is a grassroots group that focuses on marginalized folks experiencing homelessness. They regularly host supply packing parties and have pay-what-you-can events that fund mutual aid.

Organizations like the Human Rights Initiative of North Texas are always looking for people to help with interpreting and translating for the clients they serve.

RAICES, Catholic Charities, and United Way are other organizations that regularly need this help.

The Senior Source is an organization focused on helping residents of low-income nursing homes in Dallas County. They need volunteers to host holiday-themed events, send in fun videos and letters, and provide gifts for the residents.

Meals on Wheels also needs folks to deliver groceries to those who can’t leave their homes, and sometimes just to visit those who are isolated through its Friend to Friend program.

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Joi Louviere with reporting by Sydni Ellis and editing by Paula Solis.

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