Season of Giving: A Charity & Craft Fair

ACT-Agape Community Transformation: Blessed Sacrament has developed a partnership with the poor, rural area of Muko in southwest Uganda. A talented group of women from Muko Sub-County have created beautiful hand-crafted baskets, beaded jewelry, as well as sewn items. Additionally, a group of gifted women in mid-Michigan share their talents with ACT by making placemats, table runners, handbags and more made from African fabrics. The hand crafters get paid a very fair wage for each handcraft, and proceeds from all handcraft sales go back into the programs of ACT. Know that your purchase makes a difference in many lives.

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This organization provides urgent needs support to people dealing with cancer. They provide transportation and connect cancer patients with other resources in the community, help with long distance lodging and prevention programs in the schools and community. Make a contribution in honor of someone to allow this organization to continue to help those dealing with cancer.

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The Midland Civitan Club is dedicated to helping people in their own communities with an emphasis on people with disabilities and their families. You can purchase Claxton Fruitcakes to help support their cause.

Visit the Facebook page.

Who doesn’t love coffee, tea or chocolate? Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as social and environmental standards in areas related to the production of a wide variety of goods.

The United States consumes one-fifth of all the world’s coffee, making it the largest consumer in the world. But few Americans realize that agriculture workers in the coffee industry often toil in what can be described as “sweatshops in the fields.” Many small coffee farmers receive prices for their coffee that are less than the costs of production, forcing them into a cycle of poverty and debt. Fair Trade is a viable solution to this crisis, assuring consumers that the coffee we drink was purchased under fair conditions. To become Fair Trade certified, an importer must meet stringent international criteria; paying a minimum price per pound, providing much needed credit to farmers, and providing technical assistance such as help transitioning to organic farming. Fair Trade for coffee farmers means community development, health, education, and environmental stewardship. We will have Fair Trade coffee and chocolates from Divine Chocolate in Ghana.

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For over ten years, For A Brighter Tomorrow has helped hundreds of Midland County residents meet court requirements, access recovery housing, and stay on the path to recovery through compassion, resources, and community support.

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Global Compassion is a nonprofit public charity run by volunteers to help people in need.  Projects include supporting Ukrainian refugees, drilling bore wells for water providing South Sudan educational support. Other endeavors include empowering women to self-sufficiency, and community outreach to help those in emergency needs. You will be able to purchase of Indira’s Homemade Exotic Jams, pure silk scarves, soup packages, jewelry and Ukrainian snacks.

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Global Mamas: Global Mamas is a nonprofit organization helping small women-led enterprises in Africa. By purchasing Global Mamas products, you are offering sustainable livelihoods to women and their families living in poverty. All proceeds go directly to the women and to nonprofit programs that assist them with business development.

Support Global Mamas

Teams from Blessed Sacrament and other churches have gone to Guatemala to install these new fuel efficient and cleaner burning stoves which replace dangerous open cooking fires. Local entrepreneurs have started factories using local labour and materials to produce these stoves. Contribute to cleaner, more efficient stoves for families in Guatemala, helping improve health and the environment.

For more info, contact: Kevin Shaughnessy

Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian ministry founded on the conviction that every man, woman and child should have a decent, safe and affordable place to live. In the U.S., Habitat for Humanity lends no-profit, no-interest mortgage loans to its beneficiary families. Each recipient family is expected to invest “sweat equity” in building their home.

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Heifer International is a non-profit organization whose goal is to help end world hunger and poverty through self-reliance & sustainability. Heifer projects around the world help families achieve self-reliance through the gift of livestock and training. Over the last year, Heifer was able to assist more than 1.9 million families directly and indirectly. Gifts are passed from recipient to recipient until entire communities are transformed. Heifer was listed by the Harris Interactive Brand survey as one of the top 10 most trusted non-profits in America. Make a donation to purchase an animal or part of an animal for a family in need.

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This group support Christian families in Israel either through creating jobs by selling the handcrafted items, donating to Christian organizations, or directly aiding housing expenses for poor families living there locally. You will be able to purchase religious items made from olive wood.

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This agency, previously known as Midland Area Homes, has been serving Midland County for over 40 years improving housing conditions for safe and independent living. They are a resource for rental assistance and furniture pick-up and distribution.

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A Catholic men’s fraternal service organization where faith is their foundation.

Knights participate in drives to help troubled youth, raise money for individuals who are mentally challenged with an annual Tootsie Roll drive and support Special Olympics. They provide assistance and support to families when and where needed. They support youth-based programs such as the Knights of Columbus Basketball Free Throw Championship and other activities such as Youth outreach retreats and their annual mission trip. They cut firewood to help those who need wood to heat their homes in winter. The Knights will have soup to go to support their many charitable activities.

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This group provides opportunities for women parishioners to become involved in social and service activities and raise funds for and distribute funds to charitable projects within the parish and the Saginaw Diocese. All women registered at Blessed Sacrament Parish are automatically members. The Ladies will have homemade cookies for sale. The Ladies will also be conducting a silent auction of a hand made wood bench that was donated to them.

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The Legacy Center for was founded as a “think and do” tank. It’s mission was to investigate outside-the-classroom factors that impede student learning and development, to devise programs that address the identified barriers, and to implement these initiatives through collaborative efforts with youth-serving agencies in the community. In addition, they rigorously measures the effectiveness of these programs to determine whether and to what extent their desired outcomes are being achieved.

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The goal of this organization is to ensure every family has enough food. In addition to their regular food program, they provide vouchers for nutritional supplements to cancer patients, sponsor monthly mobile pantries and the Backpack Buddies Program which provides a backpack of food each weekend to low-income children.  Make a donation to this agency to honor a family member, neighbor or friend.

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The Open Door is a non-denominational Christian outreach that strives to carry on the mission of Jesus Christ. They minister to the spiritual and physical needs of the hungry, homeless and poor. The ministries include: a men’s crisis shelter, a crisis shelter for women and children, a soup kitchen, jail and prison outreach, clothing ministry, Restoration ministry, bible study, prayer and Christian fellowship.

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Supports the vision of International NP’s  “Worldwide culture of peace in which conflicts within and between communities and countries are managed through nonviolent means.”  Our local chapter raises donations for international peace and also has helped train Midland area students and adults in conflict resolution skills.

In 1999, Dr.  Mark Manary, a Bay City native, went to Malawi to study malnutrition. He worked with a number of people to develop a therapy food that didn’t spoil or needed to be cooked, was energy dense and could be given in small amounts. Today this peanut butter formula is being given to thousands of malnourished children in Malawi.   95% of children receiving this formula reach their ideal weight for their height   The formulation is produced and packaged in Malawi which helps support the local economy. For $1.00, children will be able decorate sugar cookies with proceeds benefiting the Peanut Butter Project.  You will also be able to make a contribution and receive a peanut ornament.

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A non-profit farm that serves the Midland community with not only fresh produce, but also with education about growing, harvesting, preparing, eating, & preserving produce.  Their produce is often shared with those in need of food. They will have freeze dried herbs for sale.

Visit Phoenix Community Farm

Make Christmas joyful for a family in need by adopting a family through The Salvation Army’s program. The Adopt-A-Family program, is designed to provide Christmas gifts and food to needy families.  In Midland County many families will sign up to be adopted but few will be adopted.

Call: (989)-496-2787 for more info or visit the website.

SERRV is a nonprofit organization with a mission to eradicate poverty wherever it resides by providing opportunity and support to artisans and farmers worldwide. SERRV works with thousands of small-scale artisans and farmers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and other developing regions of the world by marketing their handcrafts. In addition to purchasing and marketing products,  Serrv works with producers to assist them in becoming economically self sufficient through product design, training, information, technical assistance and market access.  You will be able to purchase a wide variety of hand crafted products that will benefit the artisans supported by Serrv.

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The Arc of Midland is a nonprofit organization which promotes the general welfare of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and increases their presence, participation and inclusion in the community.

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Malaria infects more than 500 million people a year and kills more than a million. Malaria is both a preventable and treatable disease. Despite the magnitude of the problem, there is a simple and cost-effective solution to prevent malaria deaths-bed nets. Bed nets work by creating a protective barrier against mosquitoes at night, when the vast majority of transmissions occur. A family of four can sleep under an insecticide-treated bed net, safe from malaria, for up to four years. The benefits of bed nets extend even further than the family. When enough nets are used, the insecticide used to deter mosquitoes makes entire communities safer—including even those individuals who do not have nets. $10 is all that is needed to purchase one net.

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1016 Recovery Network: A nonprofit organization that is passionate about helping people live whole lives, free from relying on alcohol and other drugs. We meet a person wherever they may be in their brokenness and walk with them through the darkness until they find a place of healing and wholeness.

For more information, contact info@1016.org

Christmas trees formed from ornament bulbs

Jams, spreads, granolas, protein cookies, waffle/pancake mixes and ice cream toppings

Norwex products that give a cleaner, safer, better result for home and personal body care. Also have seasonal crafts-repurposed suitcases and holiday items

Crochet items: Baby blankets, baby clothing, hunter hats, scrubbies, washcloths, towels

Handmade cards. Crochet slippers and dishcloths and scrubbies.

Jewelry- made with silver, copper, brass

3D Printed Items (coasters, phone holders, trays, bag holders, fidgets etc)

Hand turned pens and pencils

Wood crafts. Quilts and quilted table runners. Other quilted items

Homemade home & health products (laundry soap, sugar scrub, shower steamers) as well as reading items like bookmarks and the books I wrote and published.