At the holidays, for many, there is a feeling of love, hope, and compassion for mankind.  It's a time of giving gifts and love in the spirit of the season.  There are some, however, who struggle to stay warm, provide meals, or give their families gifts at Christmas.  For them, the holidays are not always the happiest of times.  I believe that one of the greatest things you can do for the holidays is donating your time, used clothing, monetary gifts, or Christmas gifts to those in need.  We are so fortunate for all that we have and helping people out just reinforces that gratitude!  Plus, in Utah, there are some pretty fantastic organizations that make it super easy to help!  One is the United Way of Utah County's Sub for Santa! Sub for Santa provides gifts for children between 18 months and 14 years of age in Utah County.  You can make a financial donation or sponsor a family.  It's a great way to provide someone with a fantastic Christmas who may have otherwise went without.  Last year, Sub for Santa provided nearly 2,000 families and more than 5,400 children with assistance.  How cool is that?!  Such an AMAZING organization and definitely one close to Culinary Crafts's heart!  In fact, Culinary Crafts participates in Sub for Santa EVERY year!  This year, they sponsored a big family with a lot of need and they'll be delivering their Christmas surprise tonight!!!  So EXCITING!   Another great organization is The Road Home.  Located in Salt Lake City, they provide assistance and programs to help the homeless get back on their feet and back into the workforce.  As they say, "It's not a hand out, it's a hand up!"  One of the really awesome programs they have during the holidays is the Candy Cane Corner.  They take donations of new, unwrapped toys (up until Friday, December 23) and put them in the Candy Cane Corner.  Then, the families at the Road Home get to "shop" for presents for their families and can take their selections and wrap them to provide a Christmas surprise for their loved ones.  Such an AMAZING program! They are also doing the Holiday Radio-a-Thon right now, which is a giant drive for in-kind donations, monetary donations, or you can volunteer your time to help with the drive.  Many corporations are doing really awesome monetary matching programs too if various radio stations meet donation amounts - which makes your donations go so much farther! During this season, there are so many opportunities to help our communities and give the gift of goodwill towards our fellow man.  There is so much need, and we must remember, its not just at Christmas.  May this inspire more people to go out and help in any way they can all throughout the upcoming year!  Happy Holidays!