Santa’s Elves Holiday Giving Registration: Of the many area toy and food drives this season, very few allow you go beyond the standard donation and connect with the recipients you’re giving to. KidsGiving365, a Denver nonprofit teaching children how to give back to their communities, offers a unique opportunity to specifically shop for and meet one of the thousands of local children needing clothes, toys, or other goods this season. Register by Friday, and you and your family will receive a wishlist based on a child’s specific needs to guide your shopping. Then, hand-deliver the gift when you meet them at this year’s celebration. Register by Friday; the event is on Saturday, December 10, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Rude Recreation Center, 2855 W. Holden Pl.

Making Merry Toy Drive: By adding just one extra item to your holiday shopping list this week, you can warm up with both a steakhouse dinner and the knowledge that you’ll be brightening someone’s holiday season, too. Pick out a toy, electronic, or a gift card priced at $25 or more for a child (ages 1 to 18 years old), and you’ll receive a $25 Del Frisco’s dining card in return. That’ll at least cover part of your Chilean Seabass or Wagyu Tomahawk Chop dinner (or get a friend to donate with you to split a meal for free). Wednesday, 6–10 p.m.; Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, 8100 E. Orchard Rd.; $25 and up

Inspiration in the Mountains: It’s been more than a year and a half since the 2015 earthquake, and Nepal is still in desperate need of help. This year, Namlo International, a Lakewood-based nonprofit focused on building sustainable communities abroad in Nepal and Nicaragua, is focusing its largest annual fundraiser on rebuilding three earthquake-damaged Nepali schools. As you enjoy dinner and drink offerings from Denver’s Occasions Catering, you’ll hear from engineer Laura Welland, Dr. Arjun Karki (Nepal’s ambassador to the U.S.), and other Namlo members about volunteer experiences and current projects. Live and silent auction items, including trips to Africa, Costa Rica, and Nepal project sites, will help raise the organization’s $50,000 goal for its rebuilding efforts. Thursday, 6:30–9:30 p.m., The American Mountaineering Center, 710 10th St., Golden; $50

11th Annual Astellas Aspen Summit for Life Weekend: Whether you prefer to sample culinary creations, unwind with a yoga session, or race up Aspen Mountain at night, you have plenty of options to give back this weekend during two days of fundraising events. Starting Friday, you can enjoy an intimate dinner at the Aspen Cooking School and sample wines from California-based Failla Wines and craft cocktails from Loveland-based Spring44 Distilling. A party will follow with tunes from DJ Dylan and a special Battle of the Chefs competition between Barclay Dodge and Bryan Nelson. Next, kick off your Saturday morning with a lululemon yoga class at 9:30 a.m., a perfect warm-up for the 2.5-mile Summit for Life race, where you’ll run up 3,267 vertical feet in the dark. The event series finishes with a mountaintop party, featuring a raffle to win GoPros, restaurant gift cards, ski apparel, and more along with a performance by the John Truscelli Band. All events benefit the Chris Klug Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting lifesaving organ and tissue donation. Friday and Saturday, various times and locations in Aspen; $50–$75

Parade of Darks: If you can’t get enough of seasonal dark beers, this weekend’s fifth annual celebration will have you feeling warm and fuzzy for all the right reasons. You can sample one-ounce portions of more than 60 amber-to-opaque brews, including 40 Colorado-made varieties of both seasonal and year-round selections. Clear you palette in between sips with gourmet chocolates from Shamrock Foods as you explore the darker ales of breweries like Denver Beer Co., Great Divide, and Upslope Brewing. All proceeds benefit Metro Caring, Denver’s leading hunger-prevention and food-waste reduction organization. Saturday, 1–4:30 p.m.; Turnhalle Room in the Tivoli Student Union, 900 Auraria Pkwy.; $45