With holidays starting, students are excited to go back home, eat good food their parents make and receive gifts from friends. But it’s also time for students to think of how they can give back. Trinity students can help make the happiest time of year a little happier for everybody. There are different options available to donate some of their time or money back to the San Antonio community, from distributing food, clothes and toys to spending time with underprivileged community members.
For people interested in volunteering this holiday season, the San Antonio Food Bank (SAFB) helps deliver food to people who need it. There are different options to volunteer, from warehouse sorting and packing to signing up to distribute food through their drive-thru service.
Alternatively, students can go back to the basics and help plant food or harvest it with SAFB. Volunteers can also help prepare meals in the SAFB Community Kitchen.
Students can also help make food for members of Haven for Hope, a grant-funded and personally tailored assistance facility that serves unhoused people. Trinity University Volunteer Action Community (TUVAC) frequently collaborates with Haven for Hope and other food-based opportunities, allowing Trinity students to volunteer with their peers.
Ashlyn Gillespie, president of TUVAC and junior environmental studies and communication double-major, said that TUVAC does a variety of volunteer work, with typically one event per week. Many of these events are on campus or in collaboration with non-profit organizations, with accommodations provided by the organization — all posted in their weekly emails.
“One of my favorite things about this job is actually popping the Trinity bubble and getting out off-campus,” Gillespie said. She explained that TUVAC’s collaborations give students a unique opportunity to get to know San Antonio, outside of Trinity.
As the end of the semester and finals season approach, Gillespie explained that TUVAC tries to keep activities on campus. She listed some of the activities that TUVAC organizes including blanket making, food drives, a Thanksgiving packing session, gardening hour at Denver Heights Community Center and a resident assistant clothing drive.
The City of San Antonio’s Parks and Recreation runs centers like the one at Denver Heights. Students can volunteer with the department. Aside from traditional volunteering, such as serving food, Parks and Recreation offers different opportunities for students to teach craft-making classes for the members of the centers.
This can include arts, crafts and painting, amongst others. Lena Sierocinski and Hannah Wood are two San Antonio community members who attended a watercoloring class that people can volunteer to lead in one of Parks and Recreation’s senior centers, which are free of charge.
Another student who shared her volunteer experience, Mackenzie Dupre, president of the Catholic Student Group and senior psychology major. She shared her thoughts on the best way to volunteer, particularly during the coming holiday season.
“With Christmas coming, children [with a] lower socio-economic status, their biggest wish might be to get gifts that their families might not be able to have the funds for,” Dupre said. “So, giving donations and supporting those families [is the best way to volunteer].”
Dupre recommended Taking it to the Streets, the organization she has volunteered for throughout her time at Trinity. The organization serves meals, distributes clothing and other basic necessities to the unhoused and impoverished members of the San Antonio community. Dupre said that volunteers can show up and help without signing up — simply arrive and help.
“[Taking it to the Streets] is a great way to get in touch with the homeless community, especially during the holidays, where they might feel lonely, not having access to visit friends,” Dupre said. “So just stopping to give back, or sit down and have a conversation with them, give them some support.”
If you want to help San Antonio out, which currently ranks as the third-highest poverty rate of U.S. metropolitan areas, at approximately 17.7%, the holiday season is a great opportunity to help those in need.
