It’s easy to overlook the less fortunate come Christmas time. Unfortunately, this is the time of year when those in need become increasingly vulnerable.

In the consumer society we live in, the holidays have become a nonstop infomercial, and it’s difficult not to get absorbed in the sea of commercialism. Even during today’s credit crunch, we still want to shop — and most major retailers are planning aggressive price slashes to attract us to the mall.

However, this year in particular, there are a record number of people in need. For those who truly want to make a difference this Christmas, the Seattle area boasts a multitude of opportunities to get involved and help struggling families in your local community. Here are some of the upcoming events:

Food, toy and care drives:

The city of Seattle community centers provide dozens of services for their communities, especially around the holidays. This year, you can get involved in many different ways — preparing holiday meals, donating toys and non-perishable foods and helping out with their shelter referral system. The Seattle Fire Department is sponsoring the Emergency Feeding Program and is also participating in the U.S. Marine Corps annual Toys for Tots drive. All it takes to get involved is to drop off what you can donate at your local Seattle Fire Station — the U-District station is located on Northeast 50th Street and 11th Avenue Northeast.

Holiday Stockings for Homeless Children:

Organized by the U.S. Coast Guard, this is an annual drive that focuses on sewing, filling and delivering holiday stockings to homeless kids. According to its Web site, it now serves nearly 2,400 homeless children living in 70 shelters, including more than 300 homeless street youth per year. Its service area runs from Everett to Tacoma and North Bend to Bremerton.

Volunteers are needed to sew stockings for distribution to shelters in mid-December, and stocking stuffers such as socks, toys, games, books and personal hygiene products are needed. The annual sorting and filling of the stockings will take place on the second Friday and Saturday of December at Seattle’s Coast Guard Integrated Support Command Gym on Pier 36. For more information, go to holidaystickings.org.

Northwest Harvest Food Drive:

As always, the holidays are one of the busiest points in the year for Northwest Harvest, a charity dedicated to providing nutritious food to those in need. Like every other year, they’re looking for volunteers to work at the food banks. Sorting and distribution are the biggest needs right now and those interested can volunteer at the Cherry Street or Kent locations. Shifts range anywhere from two to four hours, but are flexible and can be arranged based on the volunteer’s schedule.

Another service they provide is the Sandwich Brigade, which relies on volunteer workers to put together nutritious brown bag lunches for the homeless. Hours to volunteer for this are between 8 a.m. and noon.

Northwest Harvest relies on donations, so even if you can’t volunteer your time, any food you can donate is very much appreciated. It can be dropped off at either food bank locations or at a variety of drop-off sites in your neighborhood — a list of these locations can be found on its Web site: northwestharvest.org.

The Forgotten Children’s Fund:

Founded in 1976, the Forgotten Children’s Fund is dedicated to brightening the holiday season for the most vulnerable children in need in the Seattle area and currently serves more than 2,900 children in 800 families around the Puget Sound. Thanks to its work, all children in the program receive a warm winter coat, a bicycle and helmet, at least three toys and blankets and food staples for his or her family. The best part: The gifts are delivered by Santa Claus himself, ensuring that no child feels St. Nick “forgot” about his or her family.

Volunteers are in high demand, and opportunities are available in King, Island, Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, Pierce and Chelan counties. Duties range from wrapping and delivering to playing Santa. For those who don’t have the time to volunteer but still want to help, donations can be made via check or online. For more information, visit forgottenchildrensfund.org.