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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday November 21, 2008 - 21 Make sense of holiday giving T is the season of giving and every year at this time, we are bombarded with fundraising campaigns. There are food drives, clothing collections, cash kettles, surrogate Santas and an endless list of other holiday appeals. With so many options, it is hard to know where to direct donations. United Way of Oakville (UWO) provides a means to invest charitable dollars and to pool those dollars with others to increase the impact of all donations to the community during the holiday season and all year round. In fact, UWO is more than just funds and financing. UWO works with the community to maximize volunteer, financial and agency resources to respond to the needs that exist and that are emerging right here in Oakville. Here's how it works. Donations to UWO go into a community impact fund. From this fund, UWO supports the vital work of 31 human and social service agencies that strengthen families, support independence and well-being in seniors, support those in crisis and promote self-sufficiency in individuals in Oakville. To ensure that every dona- tion is effectively invested in the community, UWO carries out a full evaluation of every agency that requests funding. During this process, local volunteers make decisions about where donations should be allocated based on a careful review agency visits. This ensures agency accountability all year long. A gift to United Way of Oakville is a wise investment in your community. Giving to UWO, you can be assured that your charitable investment is directed to the agencies that address the greatest need, that are well managed and that are accountable. This holiday season, give to United Way by calling 905-8455571 or by visiting www.uwoakville.org. -- Submitted by United Way Oakville Fareshare needs student volunteers Oakville's Fareshare Food Bank needs lots of high school volunteers to hand out paper bags to collect food donations during the Christmas season. While Fareshare doesn't hold an official Christmas food drive, it is making a special effort since statistics this year show a five per cent increase in families using the food bank. Volunteers are needed to stand at the entrance to the Great Canadian Superstore at Trafalgar Road and Dundas Street to hand out bags for shoppers entering the store to fill with food donations. Volunteers are urged to register between Dec. 1-7, to hand out bags between Dec. 13-23. Hours volunteered will be counted toward the 40-hour community service required by high school students. For information, call 905845-8014 in the evenings.