10 Nonprofits Collecting Holiday Donations

The holiday season is all about giving, and what better way to embrace the season is there than donating toys or food to those in need.  Here are a few examples of places and ways you can give to the less fortunate this holiday season:

1.    Toys of Hope:  Based in Huntington Station, Toys for Hope provides a range of services, from tutoring to dental supplies for under-privileged children.  During the holiday season they are in great need of toy donations, and an appointment to drop them off can be made by calling 631-271-TOYS. They also accept monetary donations through their website.

2.    Long Island Association for AIDS Care, Inc.: LIAAC collects new, unwrapped toys for children between the ages of 0 and 18, and is accepting donations up until Dec. 10. If you can donate, please call 631-385-2451.

3.    Smithtown Food Pantry: The Food Pantry, located at 90 Edgewood Ave in Smithtown, takes donations Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Volunteers are always needed, especially during the holiday season. Call 631-265-7676 for more information.

4.    Pronto Long Island: Pronto's annual toy drive kicked off on Dec. 2, and will continue through the holiday season. Pronto takes donations of both toys and money, so call 631-231-8290 to donate or learn more about getting involved, or you can find out more information about the types of donations they receive by emailing prontoli@optonline.net.

5.    Huntington Bay Toy Drive: The Village of Huntington Bay is holding a toy drive to benefit the Children of the Pederson-Krag Center in Smithtown. Donations are being received at Huntington Bay Village Hall, 244 Vineyard Road, Huntington Bay.

6.    Toys for Tots: The Commack Public Library is participating in the this year, and is accepting unwrapped toy donations from the community that will distributed with the assistance of local social welfare and other community agencies.

7.    Salvation Army of Suffolk County: Aside from your holiday season donation pots, the Salvation Army's Angel tree program provides tree and toy donations to Long Island communities in need throughout the holiday season. For more information on donating or volunteering, call 631-363-6100.

8.    Huntington Community Food Council: Serving much of the Huntington Station area, the food council relies on the donations of local individuals are charities, especially during the holidays. Much like during Thanksgiving, the Food Council is in need, and if you'd like to donate, please call 631-351-1060. The Community food Council is located at 90 E 5th St, Huntington Station, NY 11746.

9.    Long Island Cares: , in Hauppauge, which is run by Long Island Cares, accepts food donations throughout the holiday season. The food bank is also looking for donations of time, to help sort and repackage a lot of the food that has already been collected. For more information on donating food or just helping out, please call 631-582-3663, or visist their website at www.licares.org.

10.  Brentwood Food Pantries: A number of Brentwood food pantries and soup kitchens serve the surrounding community, and are especially in need of volunteers and food donations around the holiday season. A few are listed below.

Christ Episcopal Food Pantry
155 Third Avenue
Brentwood, NY 11717
Phone: 631-273-9504

Iglesia Roca de Salvacion Food Pantry
65 Bradley Street
Brentwood, NY 11717
Phone: 631-434-1038
Hours of Operation: Mon-Fri (10 a.m. - 2 p.m.)

Thomas I. Connerty Outreach (Food Pantry/Soup Kitchen)
88 Second Avenue
Brentwood, NY 11717
Phone: 631-273-2192
Contact: Thomas Curran
Hours of Operation: Pantry: Mon-Fri (9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.). Soup Kitchen: Sat (11:30 a.m.).