The holidays are a busy season for local nonprofits, with many organizations working to provide support to families in need. If you want to help, you have options beyond making a financial donation. Here are some local ways to give your time, resources, or skills this holiday season.
Utah Food Bank
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📍 3150 S 900 W, Salt Lake City, UT 84119
📅 Warehouse shifts Monday through Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Utah Food Bank supplies about 390 pantries and partner agencies across the state, and last year it distributed 57.8 million meals. Its holiday food and fund drive runs through the holidays and into the spring.
Warehouse volunteers sort donations, repack bulk food and build orders like senior food boxes. You'll lift 25 to 40 pounds, kids 12 and up can come with an adult, and Family Night on Mondays is open to kids as young as 6. Group shifts fill about three months out, so book early or host a food drive instead.
Season of Sharing
📍 SSL Police Athletics/Activities League, 2835 S Main St, South Salt Lake, UT 84115
📅 Usually wraps up in mid-December
Season of Sharing is South Salt Lake's holiday program for families referred by local schools, after-school programs and city staff. Donations stock Santa's Workshop, where those families shop for gifts for free.
You can donate new, unwrapped toys and books, $25 to $50 gift cards, toiletries, diapers or winter clothing, or give money and let the team do the shopping. Volunteers help set up, greet families, help them choose gifts and wrap presents, which makes for a good family or group project.
Murray Children's Pantry
📍 170 E 5770 S, Murray, UT
📅 Delivery shifts Tuesdays, 10 to 11 a.m.
Murray Children's Pantry works to end childhood hunger in Murray. It sends out about 60 boxes every Tuesday, each one feeding a family of four for a week, and it provided about 112,000 meals in 2024.
Delivery drivers pick up three to five food boxes at the pantry and drop them at homes within about 20 minutes, so it's an hour on a weekday morning. You can also donate canned goods, pancake mix, oatmeal or hygiene products, or give money, since 98% of it goes to food.
Salt Lake City Mission
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📍 1151 S Redwood Rd, Salt Lake City
📅 Check their website for this season's dates.
The Salt Lake City Mission has served the city for 33 years. Every holiday season it hosts sit-down meals for people experiencing homelessness and gives out food boxes with everything a family needs for a holiday meal at home.
Drop off frozen turkeys, boxed stuffing and mashed potatoes, gravy, canned yams, cranberry sauce, dinner rolls or frozen pies at the Redwood Road site. Hygiene items and cold-weather clothing help too, and it's an easy stop to add to a grocery run.
Crossroads Urban Center
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📍 Westside Food Pantry, 1358 W Indiana Ave, Salt Lake City
📅 Pantries open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Crossroads Urban Center runs two food pantries in Salt Lake City, and has held its Thanksgiving turkey giveaway since 1966. Last year its downtown pantry averaged about 7,300 people a month.
Call the Westside pantry at 801-935-4079 to set up a volunteer shift or drop off food. Around Christmas, volunteers also put together hygiene kits that go out with the holiday dinners.
Give What Fits Your Capacity
You do not have to commit an entire weekend or spend a lot of money to help. A box of requested food items, a new toy, an hour of volunteer time, or a small donation can all support local holiday programs.
If your schedule is tight, look for a drop-off donation that you can add to your regular errands. If you have more time, consider a volunteer shift or family-friendly service event.
Find Your Way to Give Back
There are plenty of ways to support Salt Lake organizations during the holidays. You can donate something already on your shopping list, spend a few hours volunteering, or choose a program that lets your family or friends participate together.
