With food insecurity being a large issue right now, consider making a donation to a local food pantry in your area. Food pantries serve individuals and families who may not have access to food/hygiene products.
Contact individual locations to find out details such as drop off times, specific needs they may have, or other tangible ways to give.
Family Promise of the Great Rivers is a homeless shelter serving families with children under 18 years old located in Sparta, Wisconsin. Family Promise is looking for volunteers for various roles within their organization.
To learn more about Family Promise of the Great Rivers join them for an Open House on November 20, 2025.
Types of Volunteers Needed:
Board Members
Dinner Volunteers: Work in pairs and be responsible for bringing a meal for volunteers and families staying at the shelter in the evenings.
Driver Volunteers/Movers: Transport families to and from the Day Center, work, school or appointments with the Family Promise van. Movers use the Family Promise van and trailer to assist with transport of donated items and families’ belongings.
Event Volunteers: Serving at various events throughout the year.
Day Center Volunteers: Help clean and organize for a few hours each week. Those with special skills to run workshops for families such as budgeting, cooking, self-care, vehicle upkeep, or other life skills.
Operation Christmas Child delivers great joy and the Good News of Jesus Christ to children in need around the world through gift-filled shoeboxes.
Each box packed full of quality toys, school supplies, and personal care items becomes a tangible expression of God’s immense love for the child. For many, it is their first gift ever! Delivered by our local church partners, shoebox gifts provide an opportunity to present the Gospel to boys and girls in a clear, child-friendly way.
We are thrilled to be a collection site for this year’s COATS FOR KIDS!!
We will be collecting new and gently used winter coats, snow pants, mittens, hats, snow boots, and scarfs. Please bring your donations to our studio in Sparta (2409 S. Black River St.), before October 27th. Our offices are open Monday-Thursday 8:30am-4pm; and Friday 8:30am-3:00pm.
Thank you for blessing the children!!
Financial contributions to purchase outdoor winter apparel items are also needed. Charitable contribution receipts for tax purposes are available if donations are sent to Coats for Kids, PO Box 802, Tomah WI 54660, or if they are brought in person to Lighthouse Assembly of God, 762 West Clifton, Tomah.
Distribution of winter gear will be at Lighthouse Assembly of God, 762 W. Clifton Street in Tomah, and is scheduled for Friday, October 31st from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM and Saturday, November 1st from 10:00 AM to 12 noon. Distribution will be on a first come basis. NO appointment necessary.
A limit of one of each different type of outdoor winter apparel item per person in attendance is in effect. No items will be available prior to distribution start.
April’s Food of the Month is Cereal. Help the Hunger Task Force collect 360 boxes before the end of April. Will you be a Food Bank Hero and donate a box of cereal today?
Donations can be brought to 1240 Clinton St in La Crosse, M-F 8am to 3pm
We are in need of a volunteer(s) for our Spanish Speaking inmates at Stanley Correctional Institution. We have a growing group of men, some with limited English proficiency. We are looking for people who have a heart to share the gospel message through Bible Study, Pastoral Visits, or Services for this population. Schedules are flexible to the volunteers availability.
National Collection Week isn’t here yet, but you don’t have to wait to donate! Operation Christmas Child accepts shoebox gifts at their headquarters year-round! They can be mailed to Samaritan’s Purse, 801 Bamboo Road, Boone, NC, 28607. Many churches, families, and groups collect items monthly. It’s good for each shoebox to contain at least one “wow” item, such as a doll or soccer ball, as well as other fun toys, hygiene items, and school supplies. If you make your own year-round packing list, be sure to include a mixture of these items, as well as one month for collecting the suggested $9 per box donation. Here are suggestions of monthly items for those who would like to pack year-round:
Sheer joy overwhelms a girl in the African nation of Namibia as she opens her gift-filled shoebox.
January – Hats, Gloves & Scarves
February – Dental Hygiene Items
March – Quality Crafts
April – Stuffed Animals
May – Hygiene items
June – Toys
July – Clothing Items
August – School Supplies
September – Games
October – Letter & Photo
November – $9 Donation
December – Prayer
Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international relief organization. Their mission is to provide local partners around the world with shoeboxes filled with small toys, hygiene items, and school supplies as a means of reaching out to children in their own communities with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Operation Christmas Child ships these simple gifts outside the United States to children affected by war, poverty, natural disaster, famine, and disease; and to children living on Native American reservations in the U.S.