If you have lived in Monroe County, Mich., for any length of time, you know that community service is a year-round community ethic.

But during the holiday season, it seems like every civic club, youth group, classroom, business, church and Sunday School is holding a charity drive for one cause or another.

The problem this year is that while the need for the holiday donations has climbed in southeast Michigan, many of the middle class families who traditionally put toys, canned food and mittens into those baskets and bins are struggling themselves to make ends meet.

And here is the problem:

• Who wants to be the child who didn’t bring anything to the classroom canned food drive?
• Who wants to be making excuses to colleagues when the mitten tree is only half-full?
• Who wants to be the business owner whose Toys for Tots bin has no toys?

You’ve got to plan NOW for those holiday charity drives.

With the toy and mitten drives, pay very close attention to the department store sales. Do not wait until Black Friday, because sales for seasonal products are already taking place! This is what you do: as you go about shopping for your own family, take advantage of that early bird sale, that 2-for-1 offer, that toy coupon, that rewards points program, etc. and then use the savings to buy ONE extra gift.

That’s your charity donation this year.

You decide which cause it will go to.

It is a little bit easier to handle the food pantry drives. If you have not already cut your grocery bill with the techniques I have in my grocery shopping sidebar, start putting those concepts to work first.

Did you go on a 10 for $10, get 11th item free sale? Put that 11th item in your food pantry basket. Did you get free toothpaste with a drugstore rebate? Put that toothpaste in your food pantry basket. Did something get put in your Angel Food Ministries box that you really don’t care for? If it’s a pantry product, that can be your food pantry donation.

If you are looking for what kinds of donations the local food pantries want, the wish lists that I typically see include:

• Paper towels.
• Tuna fish and other canned meat.
• Pasta dinners-in-a-box.
• Macaroni and cheese.
• Peanut butter and jelly.
• Mayo.
• Spaghetti sauce.

But generally almost any pantry or personal care item would be welcomed as long as the product is still fresh (not out-of-date) and unopened.