A wide variety of Utah organizations and businesses are getting into the holiday spirit by helping the less fortunate.
Some of the holiday charity involves chances for residents to participate as well. A snapshot of those efforts:
Buca di Beppo restaurants in downtown Salt Lake City and Midvale hosted a fund-raiser this past week to benefit the Kids Cafe, a subsidiary of the Utah Food Bank. The restaurants will donate 20 percent of every meal purchased Dec. 9 to the Kids Cafe, which prepares hot meals three times a week for children who are at risk for hunger and malnutrition.
More than 200 Utah Girl Scouts ages 5 to 17 held a pet food drive this month and also donated more than 1,000 handmade cage quilts to 11 animal agencies along the Wasatch Front.
Cricket Wireless took more than 200 children from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake to the movie "The Cat in the Hat."
Residents can find out about local toy drives that may be under way by logging onto www.secretsanta.org. The Web site lists hundreds of toy drives and 10,000 toy drop-off locations in the United States. The organization is nonprofit.
Things Remembered declared Dec. 6 as its national Make-A-Wish Day at its stores across the country with an aim of raising $50,000 in one day through shopper donations and sales of certain gifts.
Salt Lake City-based Hamlet Homes is accepting donations and gifts through today for the Christmas Box House at its sales centers in eight communities across the Wasatch Front. For directions to drop-off locations, visit www.hamlethomes.com. Also, for every home it sells through today, the company will donate $500 to the Christmas Box in the purchaser's name.
United Way of Salt Lake needs at least 150 additional Sub for Santa sponsors because demand is so high. For more information, call 736-7709.
The Candy Cane Corner holiday gift shop is now open through Dec. 24, accepting donations of new unwrapped gifts for the less fortunate.
The shop serves families residing at the YWCA's Domestic Violence Shelter, Transitional Housing Programs and Teen Home, along with the Road Home's Salt Lake Community Shelter, Self Sufficiency Center and the Winter Overflow Shelter in Midvale.
Donors can bring gifts to the Jubilee Center, 309 E. 100 South in Salt Lake City. Hours are 1 to 8 p.m. weekdays and noon to 5 p.m. weekends.
Salt Lake Valley residents can bring new, unwrapped toys to Camping World in Draper, where they will be distributed as part of the annual Toys for Tots campaign.
Sponsored by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, the program resulted in a record-breaking donation of 15.8 million toys for 6.3 million children in 2000.
Toys will be accepted at Camping World, 13111 S. Minuteman Drive, through Dec. 21.
Northridge High School students have initiated a community service project to raise money for the Utah Foster Care Foundation.
It held a holiday carnival Saturday, and students will gift-wrap packages at Layton Hills Mall Dec. 18-24. Tips will be donated to the foster care foundation.
The school already has raised nearly $3,000 through a silent auction, bake sales and face painting at football games. For information, call Northridge High at (801) 402-8500.