While most people are darting from mall to shopping center to online store this month, there is a very different kind of holiday shopping going on at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

The Community Resource Center's annual holiday basket program provides gifts of toys, clothing, food and other necessities to needy families from Carlsbad to Del Mar. This year, 1,500 families—200 more than last year and the highest total in history—will get to select their gifts in a festive atmosphere that "looks like a Target" after Linda Hayes and the hard-working crew of volunteers with the Encinitas nonprofit set up the grandstand area for the Dec. 17-19 event.

Hayes has volunteered with the program for about 20 years. Center staffers call her the "queen of holiday baskets" but she modestly waves the kudos off. "My personal faith teaches that we are born to serve, and this is such a fun, easy, wonderful way to do it."

Hayes has seen the program grow over the years. The first year, she spent about an hour wrapping gifts because there were only 50 families who had registered for the baskets. Now, guided by volunteers, families equipped with shopping carts go through the holiday shop—divided into departments, like many retail stores—and select their items. Every child picks out a brand-new toy, each family member gets an item of outerwear, and all families receive a big box of food. The clientele is made up of North County's "working poor," as Hayes says. "Most of them have jobs that are the underpinnings of our lifestyle here—dishwashers, gardeners—and we also have single-parent families and some who are homeless." The goal, she says, is to make the families feel special and have an experience as dignified as possible.

It takes nearly 2,000 volunteers and more than 200 businesses and organizations to make that experience happen. It's a colossal task, but definitely a worthwhile one. "It's hard for people to find volunteer opportunities that they can be passionate about and this is a really good fit for me," says Hayes, who started volunteering at the center with its domestic violence outreach. "It's a really good way for me to help teach the next generation of youngsters coming up about the need to serve because we get so many youngsters in [volunteering] and they can see how fortunate they are … they get a real eye opener and then they want to be helpful. We've got people working here as adults that I saw as 2-year-olds."

It's not too late to join their ranks. Donations of new toys are still needed, as well as the following gently used items: linens and blankets, outerwear for all ages, food (stuffing, boxed and canned goods, tinned meats, etc.), baby equipment and clothes, bikes and maternity outfits. All items can be brought to the fairgrounds, to the center (111 C St.), or Coldwell Banker (740 Gardenview Court, Suite 1). For more information on volunteering or donating, e-mail Suzanne Colby at scolby@crcncc.org or call 760-230-6305.

Listen in the Library

The Encinitas Library offers a night of free music Dec. 9 with a concert by acoustic guitarist Michael Tiernan and the humor-laced pop-rock stylings of The Bigfellas. Doors open at 5:10, and the show starts at 5:30.

Sketch it Out

Unleash your inner artist at the 2^nd Friday Sketch Jam, where you can fill up your sketch pad while listening to live music and enjoying refreshments. It takes place at 7 p.m. Dec. 10 at Studio 2^nd Street, 528 2^nd St.