Elkhart's first annual Winterfest starts on Friday, November 30, but elf-rehearsal for volunteers involved starts Tuesday.

Winterfest is a collaborative event put on by 30 community organizations, and over 300 volunteers. The 10-day long celebration benefits 12 area non-for-profits, and is full of family-friendly activities.

Santa's Pantry and Elkhart Central High School's NHS program are the main co-sponsors of the event, but say it wouldn't be possible without community support. And those volunteers say the feedback has been great.

Here's a link to Santa's Pantry website where you can find a full list of events and times: http://www.santaspantry.org/winterfest.html

Santa's Pantry is a pay-it-forward program that encourages kind acts and service learning. They ask the quesiton, how can we better the community? But Santa's Pantry is losing their current building space. If you want to help out the not-for-profit community organization with a donation or extra space, you can visit their website for more information. (see link above)