The holidays are approaching, which can turn our thoughts to the joys of helping others. Eastern Agency on Aging has two such opportunities.

First up, Meals for Me is delighted to be participating again this year in the Maine Ending Hunger Campaign organized by Partners in Ending Hunger. Partners, a nonprofit organization committed to ending hunger nationwide, has a lofty goal – “to empower communities in raising awareness, shifting perceptions, cultivating leadership, building partnerships and directing resources, ultimately creating strong, healthy, hunger-free communities.”

The Maine Ending Hunger Campaign brings together Maine’s Credit Unions, youth and student groups, and business and civic organizations to help the cause. These groups, along with raising awareness and educating people about hunger in Maine, also raise money for Partners to help further its cause.

But Partners spreads the wealth around. From the Friday before Thanksgiving to the Monday after, nonprofit organizations working to end hunger may participate in the Incentive Grant Program. The grant is offered in recognition of the leadership and work to end hunger put forth by the nutrition programs.

Here’s where Meals for Me comes in. All money raised from Nov. 19 through Nov. 29 will be eligible for a match, possibly as much as 10 percent of what is raised. This is good news for EAA’s nutrition program.

“This is a wonderful way for us to make extra money, which always comes in handy this time of year,” said Gail Ward, director of nutrition at EAA. “It enables us to do some things for patrons that we might not ordinarily do, such as help out a little more with holiday parties at the community dining rooms or put a little something extra in the home delivered meal. We are hoping that as people plan for their Thanksgiving meal, they will help us make the holiday more special for someone else. Often even a little money makes a big difference.”

If you are a knitter, you may be interested in a unique opportunity to help others this season. Meals for Me is participating in the Warm Hands Project, which distributes mittens, hats and scarves to children in need.

“We give them to children who otherwise might not have mittens,” said Ward. “Sometimes schools use the mittens for children who forget their own mittens at home but still want to play outside at recess.”

Meals for Me serves many people who are homebound but still want to remain part of the community, said Ward.

“This is a great way to help them do just that, plus many of them have been knitting all their lives, but now, with their families grown, have no one to knit for anymore.”

One woman who heads to Florida every winter is careful not to be left out of the fun, said Ward. She has been helping out for years.

“She knit 19 pairs of mittens and gave them to a Head Start in her community,” Ward added. “And she just loves participating in this project. In fact, she told me she just can’t understand why everyone doesn’t knit. While in Florida she knits with a knitting group and will soon be making lap robes.”

If you would like to donate to the Ending Hunger Campaign, send a check made out to Meals for Me Ending Hunger, to Meals for Me, 450 Essex St., Bangor, ME 04401.

If you want to help children in the area stay warm this winter, get out your knitting needles and start clacking. The items are collected, usually at Meals for Me dining rooms, or they may be dropped off at EAA offices, through the beginning of December. They are then distributed to local shelters, churches and schools during the Christmas season.

Carol Higgins is director of communications at Eastern Agency on Aging. For information on EAA, call 941-2865 or log on www.eaaa.org.