There are so many who are seeking donations at this time of year, whether it be food, Christmas gifts, money or any combination of those and more. How do you choose to support?

There is no easy answer to that question, other than, where does your passion lie? If those who may be going hungry top your list this year, take food items to the local food pantries. Help serve food to the homeless of those at the local shelters.

If children are your passion, give money or new toys to the Kiwanis Toy Shop, Toys for Tots or other similar groups who make it possible for the recipients to open toys on Christmas morning. Any of these groups, along with local day cares and schools, will see that items go to the right people.

Give coats and hats via the Jefferson High School Shoe and Coat Fund so that as the inevitable cold weather comes, more will be ready to face it.

We just saw 20,000 shoeboxes filled with small toys leave Covenant Baptist Church this week as area churches and groups collected them for children across the world.

One way to give that has caught my eye is not a gift to help those currently in need, but to honor those who are no longer with us. The Wreaths Across America effort to honor those who have served our country and who now lie in rest at national cemeteries.

The local Jefferson County Explorer Post, a group of young folks learning about law enforcement, are joining in to help bring wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery. They plan to travel to Arlington to help lay wreaths on the graves there on Dec. 12. Unfortunately, there appears to be a shortage of wreaths for this, our most known national cemetery. So this is one of the places where my donation will go.

The sacrifice of those who gave their time, and often their lives, so that I can write what I want in this little space on the editorial page, is important. Buying a few wreaths seems a small return. I hope to travel with the Explorers to Arlington to help in their efforts in making sure every grave at Arlington gets a wreath for Christmas. If you wish to add to this event via our local Explorer Post, visit waa.convio.net/site/TR/NationalWreathsAcrossAmericaDay/General?team_id=10660&pg=team&fr_id=4048.