HOLIDAY CHARITY : A year full of woes, a season of opportunities to give.

Thanksgiving is traditionally the time when charitable organizations kick off their holiday campaigns in earnest, taking advantage of the spirit of the season. This year, with riots, recession, earthquakes, hurricanes and famines, has seen no shortage of victims needing assistance, at home and abroad.

In the South Bay, there are plenty of opportunities for those who want to give a bit of themselves or their dollars.

Where to start? For beginners, try the Assistance League’s annual holiday store in San Pedro, where customers contribute to several good causes supported by the league, including its Community Aid program for needy families and its Operation School Bell, which provided clothes for more than 1,000 schoolchildren last year.

During the holidays, the league expands its gift shop in San Pedro into an adjacent auditorium, selling gifts and decorative home Christmas items. The sale is going on at 1441 W. 8th St. in San Pedro and lasts until Jan. 5. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. It is closed Sunday.

If you prefer a cash donation, consider the Shelter Partnership in Los Angeles, which maintains a wish list of items $1,000 or less that charities throughout the county urgently need but are not able to afford. The partnership seeks donors and matches the donor with an agency on its list. Jeff Schaffer, the partnership’s associate director, said that traditionally, young attorneys have gotten their law firms to donate money but that the wish list is open to anyone who wants to make a donation.

Call Anita Morales at the partnership, (213) SHELTER (743-5837) for details.

For another option, try the Volunteer Center’s Adopt-A-Family Holiday Giving Program. The center looks for donors willing to provide some holiday cheer--maybe a turkey dinner with all the trimmings, some toys for children, a Christmas tree or grocery store gift certificates. The center receives a discount from the Lucky supermarket chain, so any cash donations buy more food.

For more traditional fare, places such as the 1736 Family Crisis Center in Redondo Beach are looking for items such as duffel bags, disposable diapers, personal grooming items, inexpensive digital watches and tickets to the L.A. Zoo.

Center spokeswoman Pamela McGarvey said the facility provides temporary shelter for battered women, their children and teen-age runaways in several South Bay locations. Some of the people arrive without even a change of clothing, so the shelter tries to provide some of the basics and a bag in which to carry them, when the residents leave.

The runaways, she said, need watches to keep track of their curfews, and the zoo tickets and diapers are for the young children of battered women at the shelters.

The one big-ticket item needed by the center is a microwave, McGarvey said, because the center’s stopped working not long ago. The center also accepts cash, clothing and canned food.

For a more hands-on approach to giving, try volunteering during the holidays. Patty Park, spokeswoman for the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, said many organizations need more volunteers during this time of the year to help with fund-raisers and Christmas programs. United Way refers potential volunteers to appropriate area agencies, and also collects and distributes donated goods.

Park said canned foods, toys, games, disposable diapers, children’s books and gifts for the homebound elderly are especially in demand.

The Harbor/Southeast division serves about 70 organizations in the South Bay.

“We’re really emphasizing gifts for underprivileged children this year,” Park said. “There is so much going on in combination with the riots and recession that it’s going to make it hard for families. At the United Way, we’re really trying to fill those needs this year.”

A sampling of donation opportunities:

* Casa de Los Angelitos, a shelter for homeless pregnant women in Harbor City. Call (310) 830-7063. Accepts clothing for women and babies, disposable diapers, baby furniture and volunteers.

* Eighteenth annual Ladera Heights Interfaith Thanksgiving Service; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Ladera Church of the Brethren, 5505 West Slauson Ave. Call (310) 645-2878. Attendees are asked to bring canned food for the LAX Food Pantry. Offerings for the service will be donated to the Westchester/LAX Food Pantry and the Ethiopian Resource Center of Los Angeles.

* 1736 Family Crisis Center, Redondo Beach. Call (310) 379-3620 and ask for Willie Taylor. The center runs shelters for battered women and teen-age runaways.

* Shelter Partnership, Los Angeles. Call (213) SHELTER for information on making a donation. If calling about the wish list, ask for Anita Morales.

* United Way of Greater Los Angeles Harbor/Southeast Region. Call (310) 988-2500 for information on volunteer opportunities and donating items. The office is collecting donated items until Dec. 20 at 3515 Linden Ave., Long Beach.

* 1992 Adopt-A-Family Holiday Giving Program, Volunteer Center, South Bay-Harbor-Long Beach. Call (310) 212-5009 and ask for Charlotte Nushy.