CWS Lancaster Events

2012 Lancaster, Pa., "Gifts That Give Hope" Fair
November 17, 2012

When: Saturday, November 17, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Where: Farm and Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Rd, Lancaster, PA 17601

Gifts That Give Hope Lancaster is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization dedicated to supporting other non-profits through meaningful, alternative gift giving. Church World Service/Lancaster is honored to be a participating non-profit featured at this year’s fair in addition to 29 other local, national and international non-profits.

Shoppers will have the opportunity to peruse the tables hosted by each organization and purchase alternative gifts that will directly benefit the mission of those organizations. Alternative gifts include things like school tuition for a young child, food for a family in need or musical instruments for underfunded schools. When a shopper purchases a gift, they will be given an elegant card which lists the gift purchased and the organization supported which can then be given as a holiday gift for a loved one.

CWS/Lancaster will be offering the following three items for purchase at this year’s Alternative Gift Fair:

$15 Provides books and school materials to a refugee child
$25 Provides a refugee with 8 hours of intensive English language training
$40 Gives a one month bus pass to a refugee so he/she can travel to work.

A new element this year is the introduction of reusable shopping bags. The bags are sponsored by local businesses, such as Wendy Jo’s Bakery at Central Market, Aaron’s Books, Lancaster Creative ReUse and EcoLoco Fair Trade gift store in Lititz, who have agreed to extend a percentage off if customers bring the bags into their respective stores after the Gift Fair. In addition to shopping, there will be other family-friendly activities courtesy of Lighten Up Lancaster and Music Together Lancaster that will take place during the Gift Fair in the Multipurpose Room. Additionally, GTGH Lancaster will be collecting books to support Alyssa’s Bedtime Stories. Change Purse will also be collecting gently used purses and handbags in order to raise awareness and money to combat sex trafficking.

Lastly, there will be a bevy of food and beverage options provided by local food vendors such as Rachel’s Creperie, Square One Coffee, Rice and Noodles, Tortina Bakery and more. Networking tables will be set up so that shoppers will have an opportunity to further explore local non-profits that they may be interested in volunteering with in the future. There will also be a fair trade table filled with goodies such as chocolate, coffee, and jewelry that will be available for purchase in addition to the alternative gifts.

After the Gift Fair, items will be available for purchase online through mid-December. To learn more and to see the full list of Non-Profit Organizations that are participating in the 2012 Gift Fair, visit: http://giftsthatgivehope.org/lancaster/. To support alternative gift giving throughout the year, GTGH gifts will be available online and at EcoLoco in Lititz.