Have you done any holiday shopping for the less-fortunate?

Have you finished your holiday shopping? Sure, you've made your list, you've checked it twice, and bought gifts for all those naughty and nice friends and relatives. Now you can relax and enjoy the festivities … or can you?

If you've still got a touch of that seasonally induced urge to shop, you can put it to good use this week by sharing your own good fortune with others.

Several Huntley-area agencies still need your help to make this Christmas bright for local children and their families who are in need.

For some families, Christmas shopping is a luxury they can barely afford. While the little ones write letters to Santa, their parents are worried about paying the rent, putting food on the table, and putting warm coats on their kids this winter. Christmas wishes -- even small ones -- seldom come true for them.

"Donations have really been down this year," said Harriet Ford at the Grafton Township Food Pantry. The township's Giving Tree Gift Card Drive, sponsored in partnership with Baird & Warner Realty, raised only a handful of donations -- and more are needed.

Starting in November, residents were asked to drop off gift cards for stores like Wal-Mart, Meijer, Jewel-Osco, etc. in collection boxes around town. The cards are given to needy families to buy fresh food items, needed clothing, or gifts for their children.

The township's food pantry serves over 100 families, Ford said, providing canned goods, dry food mixes, paper products, cleaning supplies, and personal items such as shampoo, soap, etc. At Thanksgiving and Christmas, they try to provide food baskets with all the fixings for a nice holiday dinner.

"For our regular patrons, we like to give them a gift card or two, so they can get whatever else they need," Ford explained. "That way, they can get a dozen eggs or a toy or two. We'll take (gift cards) from anywhere."

Donations of cash or canned goods are also needed, she said.

"We're just seeing a real growth in the number of people that we're serving," Ford said.

"We need everything -- food, diapers, personal grooming items, all kinds of things. It has been a really tough year."

Some Sun City clubs and local service organizations have been very generous, she added, but more help is needed, especially at this time of year. Any kind of donation is welcome.

"We don't usually collect coats or toys, but if somebody wanted to donate that, we would definitely distribute them," Ford said. "Recently someone donated a car seat, and it went out in one day. Some coats were left here; we hung them up in the food pantry, and they were gone real quickly."

Grafton Township drop boxes are located at Harris Bank on Route 47, the Huntley Chamber of Commerce in Deicke Park, and at other local businesses. Gift cards, cash or checks may be dropped off on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the township office on Vine Street, or call (847) 669-3328 and a volunteer will come to pick them up.

Gift cards may be dropped off by Sunday at the chamber office, at the Huntley library, at Curves on Ruth Road or at Baird & Warner office on Randall Road at the corner of Huntley Road.

"I know that things are tight right now, and there's a lot of agencies looking for help," Ford said.

"But we're hoping people will remember us during the holidays."

Santa breakfast: Lee Totman of Sun City is the Huntley-area coordinator for "Toys for Tots," the annual drive sponsored by the McHenry County Marine Corps League.

Collection boxes have been in local stores for nearly a month, but more donations are needed by this weekend. New, unwrapped toys may be dropped off at Harris Bank, Vicaro's Deli, Huntley Realty, Randy's Cycles, Jewel-Osco, Re/Max Realty, the Del Webb sales center, the Huntley Area Public Library, and at Kim's Black Belt Academy, 10993 Ruth Road. Donations will be accepted up until a few days before Christmas, Totman said.

Kim's Black Belt Academy will host a free Breakfast with Santa party from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday to benefit the Toys for Tots program. Admission is free with a donated toy, and each child will receive a goody bag. A photographer will also be on hand to take photos with Santa, Totman said.

Sun City neighborhoods 10, 14, 19 and 22 have already held their own Toys for Tots drives, he added.

Totman belongs to Detachment 1009 of the McHenry County Marine Corps League, a group of around 30 Marine veterans who run the Toys for Tots collection throughout the county.

For Huntley-area drop box locations or to send a check to Toys for Tots, call Totman at (847) 515-8875. To learn more about the program, visit www.toysfortots.org.

You're an angel: Want to be angel? You can make a child's Christmas wish come true by picking a name from the Salvation Army's Angel Tree, located here in Huntley at the Dunkin' Donuts on Princeton Drive.

The tree is covered with gift tags listing a special gift desired by each child. Just pick a tag, purchase that gift, then drop it off unwrapped at Dunkin' Donuts. The deadline is December 19, so that gifts may be distributed in time for Christmas.

Winter Camp for teens: Need a gift for that hard-to-buy-for teen? The McHenry County Conservation District offers "Extreme Explorations Winter Camp" from Jan. 2-4 at the district's Wiedrich Education Center, 6316 Harts Road in Glacial Park.

Young people ages 12-15 can have fun outdoors and learn some practical winter survival skills, says program coordinator Kim Caldwell.

Teens will learn to start a fire, use a GPS navigation unit to navigate, hike, and learn how to live off the land in the winter. A cross-country skiing clinic will be held if weather permits. The program includes a day camp from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 2, and an overnight stay from 5 p.m. Jan. 3 to noon on Jan. 4. Participants will tent-camp outdoors -- or if the weather's too cold, they will sleep in an indoor facility.

The cost is $40 per person, which covers a Thursday dinner and snack, Friday breakfast and snack, a souvenir T-shirt and ski rental. Registration is due by Dec. 17. Call (815) 479-5779 or sign up online at www.MCCDistrict.org (Registration code: 208304-01).

Open house today: The Huntley Area Public Library will hold its Holiday Open House from 6 to 8 p.m. today at 11000 Ruth Road, with music, stories, and light refreshments. Admission is free; call (847) 669-5386 for details.

Fair and feast: On Dec. 21, there will be a Heritage Fair and Feast at Conley Elementary on the Square Barn Road Campus.

Hosted by the school's fourth-grade classes from 9:45 a.m. to noon, exhibits include displays, games, holiday traditions and more from Poland, Ireland, China, Indonesia, Germany, Mexico, Israel and Greece.

An afternoon session from 2 to 3 p.m. features native dances from each country. The public is invited and there is no charge.

In the afternoon, a feast of ethnic treats will be served to the students only, but not to visitors. Enter through the school office, get a visitor pass, then proceed to the fourth-grade wing. For details, call (847) 659-3700.