Every year, the Lake Stevens community hosts multiple events to help raise money for local charities and non-profit organizations. One of the most popular ones is the annual Holiday Maker Fair. Traditionally held during the first few weeks of December, it invites local businesses to set up booths and give the community a chance to find unknown treasures. It’s a great time to provide recognition of these small businesses, and a great way to find more personal gifts! This year the Holiday Maker Fair will be held at Cavelero on December 2nd, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Make sure to swing by anytime, and bring a can to donate as an admissions fee!
Another easy way to help out your community is to donate to the local food bank. This is probably the most common way to give back, and one of the first things that comes to mind. As we drift into the giving season, you’ll begin to see food drives at almost every store, school, and social event. Food drives are most commonly found at grocery stores. Whether it’s a group of volunteers or a basic box with a sign at the front, they have them constantly! It’s very logical, stores are the most convenient places to have food drives because if you’re already going in to buy your groceries, what’s the harm in just grabbing an extra can to drop off on your way out? Sometimes schools will offer a reward to the class that collects the most food which can help students and families feel more inspired to donate to their community. Occasionally, social events like the state fair will ask that instead of an admissions fee, all attendees bring a food drive contribution. It’s a simple way to give a big donation. Even if every person only donated a single can or box of food, that quickly adds up!
The next way to make a local contribution is a more unique, but creative way to collect large donations. This year you can join in on the annual Stuff-a-Bus! It’s a charity food and toy drive, but instead of the usual box in front of the store, or in the corner of your classroom, the donations are collected in an Everett Transit Bus. You know what they say, go big or go home! The bus will be located at Fred Meyer, 12906 Bothell-Everett Hwy. The requested donations include shelf-stable food, warm winter clothing, baby necessities, essential clothing articles, hygiene products, and especially toys. There is a huge emphasis on toys because the charities that receive the donations are giving them away to families whose kids would otherwise not have any toys at all. All donations are highly appreciated. You can swing by and drop off any contributions on three different weekends: November 25-26, December 2-3, and December 9-10, from 10am to 4pm. If you can’t make any of those dates work, but still want to give a gift, fear not! You can make an online donation here!
Finally, if you can’t afford to donate a gift or food, donate your time! Whether you want to help distribute the food, pick up items from stores, or simply help out where it’s needed, you can register online, here, to join the Lake Stevens Food Bank Team!
One contribution could make a big difference to one family. So spread the word, make sure to inform everyone you know about how you can make an impact in your community. No matter what you do, make sure to give back to your community in some way this holiday season.
