For the fourth consecutive year, the  House Staff Council, the representative body for resident and fellow physicians, led a weeklong collection for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve  Program. Donations were received from individual residents and fellows and School of Medicine faculty, staff and students.

The Toys for Tots Program collects new, unwrapped toys and distributes them as Christmas presents to economically disadvantaged children in the community in which a campaign is conducted.

“This is our community,” said Jared Winston, MD, a UofL internal medicine resident from St. Louis. “Louisville is hosting a lot of residents who aren’t from this area. It’s a way to say ‘thank you’ to our community.”

There was some healthy competition among School of Medicine departments over donating the most toys. Stock Yards Bank & Trust is providing a luncheon and plaque to the three residency programs that donated the most toys.

The winning program for the fourth straight year, the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, collected 370 toys. The Department of Radiology donated the second-most number of toys with 139, and the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health finished third by contributing 102 gifts.

“The residents love helping out with the toy drive,” said Jamie Morris, MD, a UofL radiology resident. “The House Staff Council is very big into community outreach and this is such a fun way to do it. We have multiple people in our department who love going shopping for Toys for Tots.”

This year is no different. The UofL community has planned toy drives, sock drives and drives for pets and everything in between. If you’re looking to earn your wings this holiday season, here are some ways to get involved.

Through Dec. 14 is the Warm Up Louisville Sock Drive. Donate a pair of new socks between 7:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. in the West Information Center. Those who donate will have their names entered into a drawing for a parking space located at one of the Information Centers on Belknap campus for the duration of one month. The winner, who will be announced Dec. 15, must be a current permit holder.

Donations are welcome for adults and children and will go to the St. John Center for Homeless men and the Shelter for Women & Children.

The Institute for Sustainable Health & Optimal Aging is also collecting socks this season and invites UofL faculty, staff and students to join them in collaborating with the 2018 Leadership Louisville Ignite Class for its intergenerational and festive “Sock it to me” Challenge. Festive socks for infants to adults are being collected for Norton Healthcare’s cancer patients and other organizations in the Kentuckiana area.

For the challenge, festive socks with and without grips on the bottom are accepted. This challenge will also support additional organizations in the community, and socks for hospital patients must have the grips on the bottom.  Socks can be delivered to the Institute, 300 E. Market St., Suite 200, between 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or to have your department or group’s contributions picked-up, contact Lisa Baunach at 852-5159 or via email.  All socks must be received by December 11 at 4:30 p.m.

Collections are being taken for an Angel Tree for Homeless Animals through Dec. 18 on both campuses. Donations will be accepted in the Houchens LL Lobby on the Belknap Campus and the School of Public Health and Information Sciences on the HSC Campus.

Contact Julie Oechsli at 852-1489 or via email, or Darla Samuelsen at 852-2797 or via email for a list of items needed.

The Brandeis School of Law is collecting donations for the Louisville Bar Association’s toy drive. Toys collected for this drive go to kids who are not chosen from Salvation Army trees; typically older kids. The LBA is picking up the donations on Dec. 13.

Finally, the College of Arts and Sciences is collecting for Dare to Care through Thursday, Dec. 14. Collection boxes are located in the A&S Dean’s Office on the second floor of Gardiner Hall. Donations will be delivered to Dare to Care on Friday, December 15 at noon. If you are able to help deliver the donations and are willing to collect food donations in your office, send an email Jackie Gutterman or call 852-2234.

The 10 most needed items are peanut butter, soup, canned fruit, beans, rice, tuna, cereal, fruit juice, pasta and canned vegetables. You can also support Dare to Care with a cash donation. They can provide 100 meals for every $25 you give. .

On Dec. 9, a winter clothing drive will be held at the KFC Yum! Center during UofL’s doubleheader men’s and women’s basketball games. Fans are encouraged to drop off coats, hats, scarves, blankets and socks. The donations will be delivered to area homeless communities. 

Two seasonal opportunities have already come to fruition to secure UofL employees’ spot on Santa’s “nice” list. The UofL Women’s Center held a Student Parent Association Angel Tree initiative through November and early December. And, the Latin American and Latino Studies Club collected winter coats, warm blankets, hats, gloves and scarves for the Kentucky Refugee Ministries.