• Food from the Heart, a nonprofit organization that feeds the homebound ill and hospice patients, is asking the community for donations for its Buddy Bag program, which distributes food bags and supplies to the homeless in S.B. Potential item donations include nonperishable food, shampoo, soap, socks, gloves, scarves, sleeping bags, and blankets, among others. Items can be dropped off at Trinity Lutheran Church (909 N. La Cumbre Rd.) Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Pick-up service is also available. Call 898-3981 for more info.
• Santa Barbara’s Hillside House is looking for volunteers to assist its residents with physical disabilities for a festive day of Christmas shopping on Saturday, December 18, from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Prior to the shopping trip, there will be a brief training session for assisting an individual in a wheelchair. Volunteers should be physically fit and capable of pushing a manual wheelchair or able to serve as a guide for an individual in a power chair. After shopping, volunteers will join residents at the organization’s headquarters (1235 Veronica Springs Rd.) for gift-wrapping and refreshments. Call 687-0788 for more info.