Places to Volunteer This Holiday Season

1. Eden Medical Center: If you have a nurturing nature and a passion for health care, set aside some time to volunteer at Eden Medical Center. Volunteers aged 18 and above can help patients and visitors at the information desk, volunteer at the gift shop or help at the family support service. Throughout the year, the hospital organizes a number of volunteer-driven events such as health fairs, a health expo and a golf tournament. 20103 Lake Chabot Road, Castro Valley, CA 94546. 510-889-5033.

2. Alameda County Community Food Bank: Organize a food drive at your local church, community center or school, with help from the Food Bank, or opt to staff the bank's food helpline that refers residents in need to food providers in their neighborhoods. The Food Bank especially needs people who are bilingual (Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese). Volunteers can also help in sorting, screening, boxing, and shelving food items and fresh produce for distribution to the Food Bank's partner agencies. 7900 Edgewater Drive, Oakland, CA 94621. (510) 635-3663 ext. 308.

3. East Bay Center for the Blind: Do you like spending time with people? Do you have interesting stories to share, or maybe you're just a good listener? The East Bay Center for the Blind invites volunteers to spend some quality time with its blind and elderly members, and help them by reading out their mail and filling out forms. The organization welcomes people of all ages -- from 15 to 55 and above. 2928 Adeline Street, Berkeley, CA 94703. (925) 472-5760.

4. Project Open Hand: This San-Francisco-based organization provides home delivered meals, groceries and nutrition counseling to people living with HIV/AIDS. Volunteer work is hands-on. You chop vegetables and prepare meals in the kitchen, package grocery items into bags for home delivery, or make that drive down to a home and deliver the goodies, or serve at the organization's Senior Lunch Sites throughout San Francisco. 730 Polk St., San Francisco, CA 94109. 510-622-0222.

5. Girls Incorporated of Alameda County: Here's your chance to lend a hand for a fair cause. Girls Inc., an organization that inspires women to reach their full potential and achieve their dreams, wants volunteers for tutoring, as guest speakers, reading buddies, counselors, or artists to help with various skill-building activities. 13666 East 14th Street, San Leandro, CA 94578. (510) 357-5515 ext. 220.

6. Red Cross: This well-known charity has about 2,000 volunteers in the Bay Area alone. Everybody works in their area of expertise or interest. You could be a health and safety instructor or disaster preparedness instructor, a disaster responder, a client caseworker helping families put their lives back together after a disaster, or you could use your gift of the gab and organization skills to do marketing and office administrative work. 85 Second Street, 8th Floor, San Francisco, CA  94105. 1-888-4-HELP-BAY.

7. Chapparal House: Volunteers at this non-profit nursing and retirement home for the elderly can opt for one-on-one visits with nursing home residents, spend a few hours reading aloud newspapers or fiction to groups of residents, help maintain the facility's gardens, or spread companionship by playing a round of cards or cribbage with an elderly person. 1309 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94702. 510-848-8774 x107.

8. Lincoln Child Center: The holidays are a busy time for this organization that serves two dozen residential children and dozens of other abused or underprivileged children. During the holidays volunteers are needed to help organize and wrap gifts for about 500 families. Those wishing to donate money can buy $25-30 gift cards for older teens and families. Longer term opportunities for volunteering include helping students with their homework or organizing year-round entertainment events for the children. 4368 Lincoln Avenue, Oakland, CA 94602. Volunteers can also opt to work at the Hayward and Concord locations. 510-531-3111 ext 115.

9. Friends of Sausal Creek: Spare a thought for the environment this holiday season. Pack on those layers and get ready to get down and dirty with volunteers from Sausal Creek, who work to protect the Sausal Creek watershed through cleanup drives. On Dec. 11, the group will be heading to Shepherd Canyon Park to restore an area once used as a dump. Volunteers will be clearing weeds, planting native trees, and maintaining trails, among other things. On Dec. 18, volunteers will work at the creek in Barry Place. P.O. Box 2737, Oakland, CA 94602. 510-501-3672.

10. Alameda Point Collaborative: Got some time to spare on Dec. 16? Yes? Sign up to help with the Holiday Dinner Party at this center that provides permanent and transitional housing for adults and families. You could help with setting up the party area, putting up decorations, serve food and drinks or stay back for cleaning up once the party's over. Those interested in donating money, could opt for spreading cheer by buying a gift card for a teen-ager. 677 W. Ranger Ave. Alameda, CA 94501. 510-898-7800.