Photos: Local Volunteer Groups Participate In Annual 'Holiday Cheer' Event In Seattle

SEATTLE, WA - A consortium of local volunteer groups gathered in Seattle on Friday afternoon to give out everything from sleeping bags to hot chocolate as part of an annual two-part holiday charity event.

The Holiday Cheer and Winter Response community organizes groups to come together in one place to help needy guests. Upward of 15 volunteer groups were at the event, including everyone from Muslim Community Resource Center volunteers from the MAPS (Muslim Association of Puget Sound) mosque in Redmond to a 10-year-old boy who saves his allowance every year to run a hot chocolate stand for everyone.

The second part, the Winter Response, happens Christmas Eve when volunteers hit the streets around the region handing out gifts and cold-weather clothing to the homeless.

"Inspired by Jewish faith teachings of ‘tzedakah’ [charity] to give mutual aid and helping others, I hope to give families and children especially those experiencing homelessness, a feeling of self-worth,” said Holiday Cheer and Winter Response organizer Elaine Simons in a press release. “Other volunteers have experienced homelessness in the past themselves and this is an opportunity to give back. This is a mutual aid project which is about community helping community. All of our Holiday Cheer and Winter Response donated by people purely to help others, without expectation of tax benefits.”

Here are some photos from the event provided to Patch.com by Simons:

Images courtesy of Elaine Simons