The holiday season is coming in hot and the university is hosting a number of events to give back to the community. On Charger Connection, students have so many opportunities to give back and also have fun around campus, with holiday themed events and lots of gift giving during the stressful final weeks of our fall semester.

Kick off the giving season with Charge Through the Night for St. Jude’s first No More Chemo Rally happening in the Bergami Center’s Peterson Auditorium from 8:30-10 p.m. According to their Instagram post, this event will be a large “fundraising party” to raise money for the St. Jude cause. If you are on the fence about attending the event, just know that if enough money is raised then “some of [their] organization’s members may or may not be shaving their heads,” according to the post.

This holiday season, the Office of Residential Life is doing an “Adopt a Family” event. If you go on Charger Connection, there will be more information and a spreadsheet on how to sign up and donate different items to families from the local New Haven area in partnership with Family Centered Services of Connecticut. Then, on Dec. 9 from 11 a.m to 6 p.m in the German Club, you can assist in wrapping those gifts. If you have items to donate you can go to the lobby of your residential hall, and talk to a resident assistant or your area coordinator to donate items.

This year the university is working with The Toy Closet, an organization working with Yale New Haven Hospital to give toys to pediatric patients in the hospital, and is another way students can get involved. New, unwrapped toys can be brought to the Human Resources Office located in Maxcy Hall or shipped directly through Amazon to the hospital. The toy drive will be running from Dec. 5 to Jan. 9.

From Dec. 7-9 the ladies of Zeta Phi Beta are hosting a Winter Clothing Drive. If you have any winter clothes that are not used anymore and want to donate them, the sisters will be at Bartels table two in Bartels Hall from 2-7 p.m. All winter clothes will be donated to local shelters.

The American Criminal Justice Association (ACJA) is hosting a “Holiday can drive” from Tuesday Dec. 6 to Thursday Dec. 8; Tuesday and Thursday’s can drive is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., while Wednesday’s is from 2-7 p.m. in the Bartels Lounge. “Our members will be tabling for can donations for the holidays. We will be donating the cans to a local shelter,” said members of ACJA on their Charger Connection post.

With holidays involving gift-giving just around the corner, it is nice to give to those in need. Make sure to check out these events or any other opportunities to give back to your community.