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You can make a big difference on your own this holiday season if you just try. But with a group—an entire school, even—your efforts can reach the community quickly and in a big way!

If you’re interested in having your schoolmates help those in need during the holidays, here are a few ideas to present to your teacher or principal:

1. A canned goods drive. Dallas has plenty of food pantries that could benefit from donations. The North Texas Food Bank serves the Dallas-Fort Worth area and makes running a canned goods drive pretty simple.

2. A toy drive. Toys for Tots works to make sure every kid gets a toy for Christmas. Talk with an adult at your school about hosting a toy drive, and if there are none planned, ask that person or a parent about having the students at your school participate in Toys for Tots.

3. A jean drive. Jeans last for so long that throwing them away is a waste! Imagine all the kids who could get a good pair of jeans for the winter if you and the other students at your school donated just one pair! Organizations such as Blue Jeans Go Green require some time to organize a drive, but in the meantime you can gather the denim and take it to Dallas Life or Crossroads Community Services, which outfit people in need of clothing.

4. A coat drive. The Community Partners of Dallas accepts donations for children who have been abused or neglected, while Project WarmUS collects coats for the homeless population.

5. A shoe drive. Send shoes to developing nations (and raise funds for a school fundraiser at the same time) with Funds2Orgs, or choose your own charity. Many people are in desperate need of shoes in the colder months, so a shoe drive is a perfect wintertime project.

6. A book drive. Call your local and surrounding libraries and see if they’re in need of donations. Here is a list of organizations that will accept book donations and distribute them to schools and even prisons.

7. Connect with senior citizens. Consider organizing groups by class or grade and having the groups visit an assigned nursing home. Each group can sing Christmas carols, make crafts for the residents or simply spend time with someone sitting alone.

The possibilities to give are limitless! If you can dream it, you can do it. Talk with your friends, parents and teachers about your idea, and make it happen!