This is the final stretch for holiday shoppers, and you know who you are if you belong to the procrastinators club. But you can still give the gift of service and help to others, even while the rush to the malls reaches a fever pitch.

Give a Toy

The U.S. Marines Corps have supported the national Toys for Tots campaign since 1947. Over the years, the Marines have distributed more than 452 million toys to more than 209 million needy children. More than likely that collection points in your area have stopped accepting toys, but you can still contribute online to brighten a child's Christmas and support the charity.

Clean Your Closets

Are your closets overflowing with items you don't wear anymore? Why not donate them and create some room -- maybe even for other clothes. Consider The Salvation Army, Goodwill Industries or search from our home page to find charities that accept donations.

Coat Check Time

Winter officially begins soon, and there are lots of people who could use a new coat to keep warm this year. Donate your coats in good condition to help those in need. One Warm Coat has a tool that can help you find coat drives around the nation. If you live in the New York City area, consider donating to the New York Cares Coat Drive, which has several public collection sites open through the new year.

Feed the Hungry

Remember the hungry during this time of giving. Food, pantry, and hygiene items are needed year round by individuals and families struggling to put meals on the table. If can't make it to a drop-off site for your local food bank, consider making cash donations to the organizations online and ask others to join in to create a virtual food drive. Visit our toolkits section for hints to help start a food collection drive in your community.

Pay It Forward

This year's headline-grabbing disasters and tragedies have left a lot of Americans feeling the need to do something positive in response to these events. So it's no surprise that the idea to “pay it forward” is gaining traction, but performing unsolicited good deeds never goes out of season. The gesture doesn't have to be grand or cost a lot of money, this is one time when it's really the thought that counts.

Nearly half of Ohio’s school children qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, and many of these children do not have access to adequate nutrition during the summer months. This lack of access to adequate nutrition has been linked to poorer academic performance, which can easily perpetuate the vicious cycle of poverty.
 

It seems improbable in a country where 90 million of its citizens are battling obesity that 49 million are also having food security issues, however, that’s the reality in the United States today. And more than 16 million of our most-vulnerable residents -- America’s children --are paying the price.
 

The school year is over, but that's not an excuse to let your child's brain and body take the summer off. Inspired by the First Lady's Let's Move initiative, the Corporation for National and Community Service's Let's Read. Let's Move. calls on all Americans to combat summer reading loss and childhood obesity through service this summer.
 

Jorge Muñoz's 2004 encounter with homeless day laborers sounds like the pivotal moment in the latest feel-good movie. But the “Angel in Queens” wouldn't be providing up to 140 meals nightly if the need in their words didn't resonate with him: “If we have a job, we will get money to eat tonight; if not, we don't eat anything.”
 

I was inspired early in life to try to make a mark on the world. And even though I'm a bit of a natural caretaker -- working as a lifeguard and even helping find jobs for folks suffering from traumatic brain injury -- meetings and organizations just weren't my style.
 

On December 20th, Corporation for National and Community Service CEO Robert Velasco, II, and Director of AmeriCorps John Gomperts joined volunteers at DC Central Kitchen. They helped prepare fresh produce that would later be added to delicious meals for area hungry. Each year, more than 14,000 volunteers work side by side with the men and women of the Culinary Job Training program, preparing more than 4500 meals, 365 days a year.
 

Thanksgiving is a time to come together with family and friends to feast in good company. It is the one day a year reserved for expressing gratitude – for family and friends, health and careers, homes and means. But many Americans will not share in such plentiful abundance.
 

Many Americans struggle with poverty issues. According to the Census Bureau, 1 out of 6 Americans are living in poverty. In the Dallas-Fort Worth Metro Area, more than 14.6% of individuals live below the poverty line and statewide, 4.6 million Texans live in poverty, putting Texas 3% higher than the national average.