Lights and carols and warmth and gifts!

Hello from your Outreach team!  Each Advent, we come together as a congregation to designate a special Christmas offering to folks who need lights and carols and warmth and gifts.  In this season of blessings, it is part of our celebration of God’s gift of Jesus in Bethlehem to recognize and provide together for the stranger in our midst who also needs shelter.

We are excited that this year’s Christmas offering will go to an organization who really needs us to stand with them at this time.  Hope for the Children of Haiti (hhfchaiti.org) is a nonprofit founded here in Boston and with deep roots and leadership involvement from people in Winchester. HCH runs an orphanage and a school for children, serving a country ranked near the very bottom of the UN’s Human Development Index of nations at 163. Half the country is in deep poverty, living on about $5 a day.  Supporting Haiti’s children with a home and quality schooling directly addresses poverty at its core.

In early September, HCH was forced to evacuate their home of 27 years and flee for safety from direct threats of violence and harm to the children and staff by the gangs in Port-au-Prince. They are renting space now and raising funds for a new and safer facility to serve children. They estimate needing to raise $3M and have set a goal of raising $250,000 towards that in this Christmas season. Please join us with a generous Christmas donation to HCH.  You can use the enclosed envelope in the mailing to your home, or simply note: “Christmas Offering” in the memo line of a check or Venmo payment to the church.

And so we invite you this season, when we remember Jesus came without a place to lay his head, to join us and give generously to this work of building a new children’s home and school, helping to provide love, security, and a future for the children of Haiti. May we together shine God’s light and love in our hearts, our homes, our community, and alongside the children of Haiti.

Your Outreach Committee:   Laura Bailey, Don Dutton, Sarah Girotti,

Julia Daggett, Betsy Goodell, Virginia Seay, and Maeve Hammond

There’s only a couple of weeks to make this happen so jump in as quickly as you can. Sign-up Genius has limited space so if you see a note to contact Julia for links, please reach out. Drop off your gift, unwrapped and labeled, by Tuesday Nov. 29th at 14 Winthrop Street. The Outreach Ministry will be delivering the gifts by Friday Dec. 2nd to allow the good people at Woburn Council time to distribute gift cards.

Please help make the Holiday a little brighter for someone in need. If you have any questions you can contact Julia Daggett.

Giving Tree Signup

City Mission’s principle of engagement is strongly felt in our annual Christmas Shop. Each year, we partner with local churches, businesses and individuals who give gifts of time, talent and treasures to families in need living in the Boston area. Communities get involved in several ways: Churches organize congregation-wide gift drives where clothing, toys, toiletries and other necessities for vibrant living are collected. Senior High youth groups and other volunteers come to the Christmas Shop to count, sort and help prep for distribution of the thousands of items we receive. Our Homelessness Prevention participants and community partners that work with those in need to receive the items, help benefit thousands of families each year with this event.

For decades, the Christmas Shop has served as a catalyst for people of faith to reach out to others. In 2018, we collected and distributed over 5,200 items to our partner agencies. Through your help and support, the Christmas Shop brings hope and joy to those most in need during the holiday season.

DOWNLOAD 2019 FLYER

HOW YOU CAN HELP

DONATE GIFTS

We provide gifts for people of all ages. We accept only NEW items. We accept a range of gifts, listed by priority including:

1. Winter coats, sweaters and sweatshirts
2. Hats, mittens, gloves and scarves
3. Socks, underwear, bras and thermals
4. Gift cards from Target, Walgreens, Marshalls, CVS, Kohls or other merchants
5. Toys (culturally relevant dolls), games, sports balls, puzzles and books for all ages

All gifts can be dropped off at First Congregational Church in Winchester (21 Church St, Winchester, MA) on Sunday December 8 or 15 from 12-6pm.

VOLUNTEER

Once we receive the donations, we need to make sure they get to the right place!
Volunteers are needed in two hour shifts (12-2, 2-4, 4-6) on December 8th or 15th to help receive donations, organize, pack and sort gifts. The Christmas shop is open for volunteers to come help us sort in December. Please email Debbie Duval to find out more and get your church group, family or team signed up to help today. It’s never too early to get something on your calendar!

For more information and how you can get involved, please contact Debbie Duval at dduval@citymissionboston.org.