Local volunteers, donors, and community organizations highlight the collective spirit of giving.
Below you’ll find a random selection of creative, fun, and heartwarming ways our local community is getting involved and giving back this season.
Crystal Creek Rescue volunteers have partnered with Fabulous Felines NWA to build insulated and straw filled shelters to help keep feral cats and kittens warm as the temperatures drop. CCR is on track to rescue 1,300 cats and kittens in the next 12 months. Since Bentonville does not have a shelter and offers no support for cats, CCR fills that gap.
The D.E.B. Project works with foster families and schools to provide children in need with clothes and other essential items. Thanks to the Walmart Network Planning & Optimization team, they recently received donations of 74 coats, 9 hats, 8 scarves and 9 pair of gloves!
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Northwest Arkansas recently held its annual fundraising luncheon, calling attention to 104 children in the area on a wait list for an advocate to help them navigate the journey from family to courts to foster care and sometimes back to their family. Talk Business and Politics noted that last year the local organization saw 138 children reunified with their families and 81 children adopted. The local organization has 330 volunteer advocates who submitted 703 reports to courts on behalf of the children they were serving. There are multiple ways consumers can help from financial gifts to stock awards, selecting CASA of Northwest Arkansas on the AmazonSmile program, in-kind gift of new or used items which can be given to foster children in need and sponsoring a foster child at Christmas time.
A group called Socks and Cookies is currently raising donations to send care packages to deployed troops. Items needed for the current drive include: Black Crew Socks, Cookies, Coffee Packets, Water Packets, Slim Jim’s, Rice Krispy Treats, Trail Mix, Protein Bars, Playing Cards, 5hr Energy, ITunes/Google Gift Cards and Hygiene Kits.
Founded in the fall of 2017, the Historic Cane Hill Music Roots Program seeks to preserve and bring back the folk music culture in Northwest Arkansas. Students from Lincoln Consolidated School District have been learning guitar from instructors at Inside Out Studio. They are currently reaching out to the community for instruments (specifically guitars, mandolins, fiddles, and banjos), music stands, or any contribution towards buying those items. They also want to raise funds for a private lesson scholarship program for these kids to also have a one-on-one learning environment!
22 volunteer trail stewards recently donated a morning to hand-build multi-use trails for the community at City Lake in Siloam Springs, Arkansas! In total, they contributed over 80 hours of volunteerism! More trail love volunteers coming up next month, follow Ozark Off-Road Cyclists Facebook Events page for upcoming opportunities!
Lone Pine Animal Shelter in Centerton is in need of canned dog and cat food. This is going to be an ongoing monthly need. If you have the means to do so, they are looking for a recurring monthly donations. They have requested Pedigree chopped ground dinner varieties for the dogs and the large cans of Friskies for the cats. However, they will gladly accept any and all donations.
Teen Action and Support Center’s annual Christmas Teen Initiative will secure sponsors for over 60 teens and their siblings who would not receive Christmas gifts otherwise. They secured donations for all but 14 underserved youth. You can help by donating or contacting them to receive the wish list of a local teen. All gifts must be delivered to the TASC office by December 10th.
This is Northwest Arkansas, good vibes only.
