As often as possible, Denise McKain goes out her way to donate food and clothing to homeless shelters. She usually has something to give to the people at the Highway 80 Rescue Mission in Longview.
"There's a lot of us that have been pretty close to bottom," McKain said.
As Christmas is getting closer, organizations need volunteers to help them meet their goals. 'Highway 80' wants to fill a moving pod with canned goods before the 12th. They call it '12 cans of Christmas'. Once a person donates 12 canned good or dollars, Highway 80 encourages them to challenge three other people on social to do the same. The food will help prepare more than 600 meals for families in need.
The Salvation Army in Tyler has collected more than two hundred thousand dollars in donations. It's not quite where they need to be since the goal is three hundred seventy-five thousand dollars. All needed to reached before Christmas eve. Captain Robert Parker told CBS 19 he was confident people would pull through.
"We believe the Lord will provide," Parker said.
"It's a gift from God," Denise McKain said. "He provides for us, so therefore, we should give."
With so many opportunities to give back, McKain said it's just a matter of setting aside time to serve.