A meal to share. A gift to unwrap. A little extra support during winter break. This holiday season, Austin Community College District (ACC) faculty and staff can help students and their families through three donation drives.

Give a Gift: Holidays Around the World Toy Drive

The ACC District Police Department (ACCPD) is partnering with the College’s Military Families Center to collect toys for the Holidays Around the World event. Your donation can help make the celebration special for participating children and families. 

To help make this event a success, ACCPD has a goal to collect 200 toys to ensure every child at the event receives a gift. 

  • What to Donate: New, unwrapped toys for children from newborn to 15 years old are encouraged. Monetary donations and gift cards are also accepted.
  • Donation Window: Monday, November 2, through Friday, December 4
  • Donation Drop-Off Locations: Drop off at any ACCPD office at any campus.

Toys will be distributed during Holidays Around the World on Friday, December 11, in the Military Families Center at Highland Campus. 

Donate: Winter Holiday Meal Kit Food Drive

The Basic Needs team is collecting food items for winter meal kits to help students and their families during the upcoming break. Employees across the district are invited to donate. 

  • What to Donate: View the donation spreadsheet to see campus needs and to sign up for specific items. 
  • Donation Window: Monday, November 9, through Tuesday, November 24
  • Donation Drop-Off Locations: Donations can be submitted to any of ACC’s 11 campus Riverbat Bites food pantry locations.

Check your campus Riverbat Bites Food Pantry’s hours before dropping off your donation.

Meal kits will be available and distributed to students on all campuses on a first-come, first-served basis December 1–11. 

Make a Holiday Wish Come True: The Giving Tree

Now in its 32nd year, ACC’s Giving Tree connects employee sponsors with children of parenting students supported by the C.A.R.E. Coordination team. Faculty and staff can keep this tradition going and help ease holiday expenses for ACC families. 

  • What to Donate: Gifts or gift cards based on a child’s wish list or suggested gift ideas in the Giving Tree spreadsheet.
  • Donation Window: Sign up to sponsor a child between November 1–November 15. Ship or drop off gifts by Tuesday, December 1.
  • Donation Drop-Off Locations: Campus locations listed in the Giving Tree spreadsheet. Some wish lists also allow gifts to be shipped directly to the student’s address. 

How to participate:

  1. Open the Giving Tree spreadsheet and select the tab for your region. 
  2. Choose a child to sponsor and add your name and email address in the “Staff Name” column.
  3. Shop using the child’s wish list or suggested gift ideas.
  4. Update the “Method of Delivery” column to indicate how you will deliver your gifts.
  5. Wrap your gifts and bring them to a drop-off location listed in the spreadsheet, or ship gifts directly to the student’s address if that option is available.

For questions or help with a wish list, contact [email protected]. 

Thank you for making giving part of your holiday plans and helping support ACC students and their families. 

If you know a student who could benefit from additional support or resources this holiday season, submit a referral to the C.A.R.E. Network to connect them with essential resources.