The holiday season offers a promise of hope for some of us. But for other Philadelphians, this time of year can be filled with stress and uncertainty about affording gifts, staying warm, or staying healthy enough to enjoy the season.

After this turbulent year, it’s more important than ever to share what we have, show that we care and be with each other in community.

Keep reading to find a list of efforts you and your family can rally behind before the new year. Have more ideas for ways people can help? Feel free to share with us in the comments and on socials.

And, as always, we wish you a joyous holiday season, and a bit of extra warmth this month.

RELATED: Find more ways to make a difference with our guides on helping the homeless, fighting food insecurity and helping immigrants and refugees.

HELP A FAMILY BUY GIFTS

‘Adopt’ a family in need, so that they can purchase gifts for the holidays. With the Kelly Anne Dolan Memorial Fund’s Hope for the Holidays program, a donation will give a Visa gift card to families to buy gifts for the holidays.

You can also purchase e-gift cards from Target, Walmart, or Amazon for local families through Women in Transition’s Adopt-a-Family, which aids families impacted by substance abuse and domestic violence.

DONATE TO TOY AND GIFT DRIVES

Want to buy toys and gifts directly for families? With Toys for Tots, you can donate a toy (or two! Or five!) to local families who request them at one of over a dozen locations around the city. Last year, they distributed over 91,000 toys.

Or, through CHOP’s In-Kind Toy Drive, you can register your own toy drive for young patients spending their holidays in the hospital. Registering your toy drive will also set you up automatically with an online fundraising page to work towards CHOP’s $225,000 holiday fundraising goal.

You can help bring the holiday spirit to West Philly with ACHIEVEability. By filling out the form, you can get matched with children to buy and wrap gifts for them, limited at $50 per child.

GET THE COOKIE BOX THAT GIVES BACK

Sunday December 7th marks the inaugural Philly Cookie Fest, held all day at Bok Bar. Besides getting the chance to try a variety of cookies from local bakers (supporting small businesses!), consider signing up for the Justice for Kids Cookie Exchange. You bake three dozen of your own cookies, and then exchange them with all the other home bakers who sign up, for a new full box to take home with you.

Sign up proceeds benefit the festival’s nonprofit partner, the Juvenile Law Center. Not a baker? You can still donate on the website without registering.

FEED AND CLOTHE YOUR NEIGHBORS

Project HOME’s Home for the Winter Holidays initiative is full of different ways that you can do just this, from a Gift Card Drive, to a clothing and blanket drive (which you can purchase directly through their Amazon Wish List), to the chance to bake cookies for residents living in their different safe havens across Philly.

Volunteer or donate to the Sunday Love Project, where just $10 will pay for milk, bread, and eggs for one customer. Or help out with Broad Street Love’s wishlist, allowing the organization to keep on offering its guests a daily meal and essential medical, legal, mailing, and spiritual services.

VOLUNTEER

Want more of a hands-on way to support? Consider volunteering with the Hope for the Holidays Program, where you can wrap and deliver gifts for children in need from their wish lists. Or, sign up for a shift at Cradles to Crayons’s Giving Factory, where you can sort and package donations for local children and families.

Or, grab your chef’s hat and volunteer with MANNA to help prepare, pack and deliver food to Philadelphians living with serious illnesses.

GIVE THE GIFT OF LITERACY

Every kid should experience the joy of cracking open a new book — and being transported far away from this disappointment-filled year. Support organizations like giving library and literacy center Tree House Books for their holiday book drive. Or, donate and volunteer to sort the literary donations coming in through BookSmiles — working to ensure that all more kids have access to reading this holiday season.

GAME FOR KIDS WITH CANCER

Got nothing to do on holiday days off (or have kids looking to pass time over winter break)? Consider joining Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation’s charity gaming program, where streaming your favorite video games, or creating content, can be done through a charity livestream — all raising money for ALSF, which funds research grants focused on fighting childhood cancer.

SUPPORT YOUR FAVORITE LOCAL RESTAURANTS

Still looking for a meaningful holiday gift? Buy a gift card for your friend’s favorite local restaurant — it’ll give them something to look forward to and provide the business much-needed income.

SPREAD CHEER WITH A SONG

Giving back can look as simple as caroling for your neighbors! There are plenty of chances to sing all around Philly this month — such as, for example, the Carol Edition of the regular Fergie’s Pub Sing. After all, in the wise words of Buddy the Elf, the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.

MORE GOOD THINGS YOU CAN DO ALL YEAR LONG