Holidays are here and people are gearing up to hang their decorations and start picking out their trees. Christmas also means that it is the season of giving, so it is also time to pick up a gift or some canned-food to help the ones in need.

On Monday, in the Sacramento State University Union Redwood Room, students from ASI did a food and toy drive for families in need.

“We (Lambda Sigma Gamma Sorority) usually put it on ourselves, but ASI beat us to it. No hard feelings though because it is all for a good cause,” said junior communications major Risa Alarcon.

Also on campus people can drop off canned-goods at the information booth located by the University Stadium and the Sac State entrance from J Street.

“I think it is good that Sac State is helping out families in need for the holiday. My fraternity (Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity) is having a toy drive for families in need as well,” said senior sociology major Jerrad Walls.

It is not just Sac State students and organizations getting in the holiday season giving spirit, companies outside of the campus are making moves to help the less fortunate.

Wells Fargo Sacramento branches are adopting families for Christmas to put smiles on faces.

“Not all, but most braches in Sacramento are adopting families to give them gifts and food for Christmas,” said Wells Fargo’s Public Relations Coordinator Julie Campbell.

In Folsom at the Nike Factory Store, employees are putting together a canned- food drive to give away to the Salvation Army in order to fill stomachs on Christmas.

According to senior communication major and Nike employee Alex Jackson, this is one of the best times to help people in need. Jackson said helping out especially with food is best because being full makes everybody happy.

The long arm of the law is reaching out a hand to help the less fortunate. The Sacramento County Sheriff’s is in partnership with the Salvation Army. They are having a community service project entitled the TOY Project.

They will be providing toys and a Christmas dinner for less fortunate families and children in the unincorporated areas of Sacramento and the city of Rancho Cordova according to the Sheriff’s spokesperson Sergeant Tim Curran.

“We started this toy drive on November 23rd and our last day will be December 20th. It is good for people to give back to the community because if we didn’t we would not have a community to live in,” said Curran.

Because of the Sac State community and the general community this Christmas season should be very merry for everyone in the Sacramento County.

David Green can be reached at [email protected]