Organizations see higher need for helpers this holiday season

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - With grocery prices increasing over the past few months, local organizations have several opportunities for volunteers to lend a helping hand.

And that need will go beyond Thanksgiving and into Christmas and other holidays.

We were at Golden Harvest to learn what you can do to get involved.

Organizations like Golden Harvest are seeing a 39% increase of people in need of food just. As the holidays come around, the need for donations and volunteers to help feed the community is even greater.

Golden Harvest’s Master’s Table Soup Kitchen feeds the community every day, but say the Thanksgiving meal is important because it represents family, fellowship, and friends. They prepared 25 turkeys for Thursday’s meal, plus homemade dressing, corn casserole, and pumpkin pie.

They say volunteers are what makes it all possible.

Manager LaDonna Doleman said: “Usually, on a daily basis, we do between 150 and 200 trays a day. On Thanksgiving, we usually do about 200-250. So our volunteers coming through and helping us and donating is something special and dear to Golden Harvest. We appreciate everything that the community does for us.”

Doleman says there are multiple ways you can give and help the community through the holidays.

“Anybody can get involved by going on to goldenharvest.org. You can go to ‘volunteer experience’, and you can sign up to volunteer, or you can also go to goldenharvest.org and donate. Any and everything can help us to change lives,” she said.

Golden Harvest serves both the Georgia and South Carolina sides of the CSRA with locations in Augusta and Aiken. There are volunteer opportunities available at both warehouses and the soup kitchen.

You can even start a virtual fundraiser for Golden Harvest on their website. While they want your help during the holiday season, there are opportunities to make an impact year-round.

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