The holiday season has Bronxites, elected officials and local organizations looking for ways to give back.

If you missed it in last week’s print edition of the Norwood News,an eclectic group of locals, including a Bronx-based biker gang and a Bainbridge Avenue tattoo shop, have teamed up with the Lutheran Church of the Epiphany in Norwood to launch a toy drive.

Meanwhile, children in the Ambulatory Care Center at St. Barnabas Hospital, pictured above, got a treat this week when they received holiday gifts from Santa and Frosty the Snowman.

Local elected officials are also getting in on the giving action: Senator Gustavo Rivera  and his Bronx CAN Health Initiative partners hosted a healthy holiday party and toy-giveaway, with Montefiore Medical Center and the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, last Sunday at the Mary Mitchell Family and Youth Center in Crotona (pictured at left).

 

Council Member Oliver Koppell launched his toy drive this holiday season by distributing over 100 toys on December 8 to children at the Little Angels Head Start Program on Hull Avenue (pictured at right). The toys were among 300 donated to Koppell by the Bronx Chamber of Commerce and Bronx Toys, a toy manufacturer, to give to children in his district, including those at the Mosholu-Montefiore, Marble Hill and Kingsbridge Heights Community Centers.

For those of you looking for ways to give back locally, we’ve compiled a list of Bronx locations and organizations that are accepting toys and other donations this holiday season, which you’ll find after the jump.

Know of one we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments section or by sending a message to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org.

–To contribute to Councilman Koppell’s toy drive, you can drop off a new, unwrapped toy at his district office, 3636 Waldo Avenue,  or call (718) 549-7300.

–Epiphany Lutheran Church in Norwood is accepting unwrapped toys for infants and teenagers at 302 E. 206th St. on Fridays and Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sundays before 11 a.m. Or you can drop off donations at The Coven Tattoo Shop, 3154 Bainbridge Ave., from 1 to 9 p.m., Monday to Saturday.

–A number of Bronx locations, including most local NYPD Precincts, are accepting winter coats for the annual Keep the Bronx Warm cost drive. Click here for more information and complete list of drop-off sites.

–The Wildlife Conservation Society is accepting food and toy donations at the Bronx Zoo, until Dec. 31. More information here.

–The Parkchester Community Association, with State Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr., will be taking unwrapped toy donations for children up to age 12 at the offices of Zakir Kahn Realty, 64 Metropolitan Oval, Suite 13, Monday through Friday from 10 to 5 p.m. To confirm, please call the office at (718) 822-6600.

–NorthEast Community Bank, with Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, will be collecting toys at their Bronx branch in Fordham, at 590 E. 187th St., until Dec. 23. The bank’s phone number is (718) 584 -7400.