Places where you can make a difference

THANKSGIVING DINNERS

WEDNESDAY

Santa Rosa Redwood Gospel Mission. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. Chapel services, kids' activities, veterans' services, medical and dental screenings, flu shots for adults, magician, bounce house, haircuts, and Sonoma County Human Services in addition to dinner. Sonoma County Fairgrounds, 1350 Bennett Valley Road. 578-1830. Donations of turkeys, canned food and new, unwrapped toys welcome.

THURSDAY

Guerneville 1-5 p.m. God's Grace. All welcome. Veterans Memorial Building, First and Church streets. Volunteers and donations welcome. 869-0574.

Healdsburg Free raw, vegan, organic meal. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Volunteers welcome. Café Gratitude, 206 Healdsburg Ave. 723-4461.

Rohnert Park Shiloh Christian Fellowship. All welcome. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Meals available for shut-ins. Volunteers needed Wednesday evening (bring your own knife) and Thursday. Senior Center, 6800 Hunter Drive, Suite A. 795-8612.

Santa Rosa "A Compassionate Thanksgiving." Potluck sponsored by Vegan Voices. Salad and hot apple cider provided. Bring vegan dish (no animal products, dairy, eggs or honey) and your own plate, cup and utensils. 2 p.m. Free. Monroe Hall, 1400 W. College Ave. 540-1760.

Sebastopol: Community Church of Sebastopol. All welcome. 1-5 p.m. Free. Rides available and meal delivery to shut-ins. 1000 Gravenstein Highway N. 823-2484.www.uccseb.org.

Sonoma All welcome. Gary Edwards to be the top chef. 3-6 p.m. Free, donations of labor, food or money appreciated. Sonoma Community Center, 276 E. Napa St. 938-4626, Ext. 1.

Ukiah Seating at 11:30 a.m. for seniors and families with children; general public welcome at noon. Free. Dinner is served Mondays-Fridays throughout the year. Seniors and families with children are seated at 5:30 p.m., all others at 6 p.m. Donations appreciated. Plowshares, 1346 S. State Street, Ukiah. 462-8582.

Willits Willits Community Services. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Free, all welcome. Donations will be accepted to help support winter food assistance and other programs through WCS. William F. Harrah Senior Center, 1501 Baechtel Road. 459-3333.

Clearlake Noon-4 p.m. Free, all welcome. Dinners are available throughout the year on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4-6 p.m. Calvary Chapel. 14330 Memory Lane. 994-5683.

The Volunteer Center of Sonoma County has compiled holiday season volunteer opportunities countywide. Those can be found at the "Secret Santa" link on the Web page at http://volunteernow.org/volunteering.htm.

In Santa Rosa, the Redwood Gospel Mission needs turkeys to serve at its annual day-long event serving food and offering a range of services on Wednesday at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. Turkey donations should dropped off at 101 6th St., in Railroad Square.

In Santa Rosa, the Redwood Empire Food Bank accomodates volunteers nbut especially needs food and financial donations. Financial donations may be made through the food bank's Web site, www.refd.org, or at 3320 Industrial Dr., where food donations may also be delivered.

In Santa Rosa, the Salvation Army needs volunteers to serve as bell ringers for the kettle collection fundraising campaign that runs through Dec. 24. The Army can be reached at 542-0981, or at 93 Stony Circle.

In Rohnert Park, the Shiloh Christian Fellowship needs volunteers who can bring knives and help carve turkeys on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the Rohnert Park Senior Center, 6800 Hunter Dr. For more information, call 795-8612

In Sebastopol, the Interchurch Food Pantry has an "urgent need" for non-perishable food items. They , which can be dropped off at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 500 Robinson Road, Sebastopol.

In Guerneville, God's Grace, a service that feeds homeless people every day, needs volunteers and food donations for its Thanksgiving Day lunch at the Veterans Memorial Building. For more information, call 869-0574.

In Petaluma, volunteer holiday servers, decorators and clean up crews are needed at Petaluma Care & Rehab for candlelight luncheons on both Thanksgiving and Christmas day at 1115 B St. For more information, call 765-3030.

In Forestville, volunteers are needed by the Food For Thought Sonoma County AIDS Food Bank from Dec. 6 through Dec. 17 to wrap holiday boxes. For more information, email volunteer@fftfoodbank.org or call 887-1647 ext. 103.

In Ukiah, Plowshares, a nonprofit serving free meals five days a week, needs volunteers for those meals and also for its Thanksgiving Day lunch. For more information, call 459-3333.

In Clearlake, the Calvary Chapel needs volunteers to assist with its Thanksgiving Day lunch, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The church also needs volunteers for the free dinners it offers on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call 994-5683.