Spreading good will during the holidays Published Nov. 5, 2009 By Capt. Marnee A.C. Losurdo 512th Airlift Wing Public Affairs DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- In the holiday spirit of, "good will towards all men," base members and their families who'd like to spread some holiday cheer by donating their time or resources have several opportunities to do so on and off base. Listed below are just a few organizations that assist people in their time of personal or financial need and would benefit from donations or volunteer services. Adopt a Family The 512th Airman & Family Readiness Adopt a Family Program takes care of wing families who could use some extra support during the holiday season. A& FR is accepting names of families who would benefit from this program. These names will be matched with a squadron or individual who has agreed to donate to the program. A list of needed items will be supplied to each squadron or individual sponsoring a family. A & FR is also asking each squadron to donate a food basket. Items will be accepted until Dec. 11 and will be distributed to families Dec. 14-18. Squadrons or individuals who would like to adopt a family are asked to contact A&FR at (302) 677-3566. 512th Company Grade Officers Council Coat Drive The 512th CGOC is sponsoring a coat drive until Jan. 31. Base members are welcome to donate clean and serviceable coats, which are donated to local shelters. Collection boxes can be located at various locations throughout the 512th Airlift Wing, such as the 512th AW Headquarters lobby, Building 202, the 512th Aerospace Medicine Squadron lobby, Building 215, and the 512th Mission Support Group, Building 469. For more information, contact Capt. Crystal Beach, 512th AW executive officer at (302) 677-5124. Dover Air Force Base Library Mitten Tree The Dover AFB Library has a Mitten Tree. Base members can donate new or gently used winter wear, such as mittens, hats or scarves, and place the donated items onto the library's Mitten Tree. These items are then donated to local shelters. For more information, contact Richard Krueger, library director, at (302) 677-3995. The Shepherd Place The Shepherd Place provides relief and short-term emergency shelter to Kent County families and individuals in distress or in extreme economic situations, according to the organization's Web site. The shelter averages nearly 500 clients a year, half of which are children. For more information on what supplies the shelter needs on a regular basis, visit http://www.shepherdplace.org/wish.htm. To volunteer, call Betty Thomas or Lakena Hammond at (302) 678-1909. Mom's House Located in downtown Dover, Mom's House is a nonprofit, licensed childcare center for children of single parents. These parents are plugged into a network of supportive services that enable them to complete their education, find jobs and get off of welfare, according to the organization's Web site. There are various volunteer opportunities, ranging from reading to children at the childcare center, providing tutoring to the parents, and assisting with fundraisers, said Renee Bullock, director, Mom's House Inc. of Dover. For the holidays, the organization will provide families with Thanksgiving food baskets, said Ms. Bullock. For Christmas, the organization has a giving tree. Parents make an ornament for the tree that lists their gift requests for their family. People are welcome to come in and take an ornament, purchase the requested gift, and bring it back to go under the tree. This program starts Nov. 20 and ends Dec. 20. For more information or to volunteer, call Ms. Bullock at (302) 678-8688, or visit http://www.momshouse.org/dover.html. House of PRIDE The House of People Rehabilitation and Individual Development Enterprise, or PRIDE, is a residential program for adult males recovering from drug or alcohol addiction. In all, the all-volunteer program maintains 14 houses in the local area. "Those participating in this program commit to one-year of intensive recovery," said Marian Harris, founder and director of the House of PRIDE. "After that year, they move to transitional housing." There is no paid staff, so the organization is always looking for volunteers, said Ms. Harris. They also need items such as warm clothing, bedding, small appliances and food. In November, the organization will work with local churches to handout Thanksgiving food baskets to about 200 Dover residents. For more information or to volunteer, call Ms. Harris at (302) 677-0116, or e-mail hoppride@aol.com. Toys for Tots The American Federation of Government Employees 1709 and Vietnam Veterans M.C. are hosting their 2nd Annual Toys For Tots drive. The purpose of the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to community children in need. Base members can drop off toys at the American Legion, located at 835 S. Bay Road in Dover, Nov. 14 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, contact Bob Russo at (302) 422-4988. Salvation Army The Salvation Army is conducting several programs over the holidays. On Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, they need about 25 volunteers to help serve, bus tables and prepare food in the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen at 611 Forest St., in Dover. The organization is also hosting a food drive Dec. 14-16 for Christmas food baskets. Individuals can drop off food at their facility, 611 Forest St., in downtown Dover. Items especially needed are canned cranberry sauce and yams, boxes of scalloped potatoes and cake mix. The Salvation Army is also sponsoring the Angel Tree Program at locations such as the Dover Mall, Camden Wal-Mart, YMCA and Gold's Gym from mid-November until Dec. 16. The program provides new clothing or toys for children. The sponsoring company or corporation places a Christmas tree in a high-pedestrian traffic area. The tree is decorated with numbered paper angel tags with the first name, age and gender of the child who will receive the gift. Contributors remove one or more tags from the tree and purchase appropriate gifts for the child. The toys are then delivered to the unit and later picked up by the parent to distribute to their child or children on Christmas day. Also, individuals or groups who would like to volunteer to be Kettle Ringers can sign up by calling the Salvation Army at (302) 678-9551 and asking for Keisha Calley or Dana Smith. Be a Santa to a Senior The Dover Mall is hosting Be a Santa to a Senior Nov. 12 to Dec. 24. The goal is to spread holiday cheer to lonely or financially-challenged seniors in the local area. The Dover Mall is facilitating the purchase and distribution of gifts by placing a Be a Santa to a Senior tree at their Guest Services desk. Each senior's gift request is written on an ornament placed on the tree. Remove the ornament, purchase the gift and return it to Guest Services. For more information, call (302) 678-4021. These are just a few opportunities for wing members to give the gift of giving; however, there are several more organizations hosting charitable events throughout the community.