Alternative Christmas Market Helps Us Give Meaningful Gifts!
Our FIFTH ANNUAL ALTERNATIVE CHRISTMAS MARKET is now bringing joy and hope to many lives even as it gave meaning and purpose to our gift-giving experience of Christmas. Again this year, our JOY (Justice, Outreach and You) Ministry offered many wonderful opportunities to share the gift of Christmas generosity in our gift giving for the season. On two Sundays, December 6th and 13th, the Alternative Christmas Market gave us a chance to shop in ways that make a difference. We purchased handcrafted gifts by artisans around the world and donation gift cards sponsoring families and children in need. Hundreds of dollars were donated and raised to support important causes, and much of our Christmas shopping is complete. We look forward to the special JOY we will see on the faces of our family and friends when they receive our gifts of love and generosity and see the way in which JOY can be multiplied when we give in ways that truly transform lives. Look for the market again next year!
PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS INCLUDED:
American Friends (Quaker) Service Committee: Soaps and fair trade olive oil from the Holy Land ($20)
Campaign for Female Education: School shoes ($25) and school clothing ($40) for girls in rural Africa
Central Asia Institute: Send 2 girls to school for a year in Afghanistan ($20)
Church World Service: 50 chicks ($25)
Concern America: Hand-made fair trade gifts from around the world
Friendship Shelter: Beaded bracelets
Habitat for Humanity: Cards ($10), pins ($15)
Jewish World Watch Solar Cooker Project: High-efficiency stoves for Darfur refugees ($30)
KwaZulu Natal, South Africa: Bear hugs for AIDS orphans ($15)
Laguna Resource Center Adopt-A-Family Program: Gifts for Laguna families in need
Millennium Village, Uganda: 30 fruit tree seedlings ($15)
Pacific Marine Mammal Center: Feed a rescued marine mammal for a day ($15)
Partners in Health: 6 family-sized insecticide-treated bed nets for Africa and Haiti ($20)
World Vision: 2 soccer balls ($16)