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Gifts That
Go Beyond
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Shopping for Christmas gifts can be expensive and exhausting. And you're never sure if the person will like or use the item you picked. One church in Fort Worth has found a way to avoid the holiday hassle. Their one-stop-shopping event gives folks a chance to pick from charities they'd like to support, and give the kind of gift that can last a lot longer than the holiday season. Reed Galin reports. |
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SCRIPT:
This is not a crowded shopping mall at Christmas time. Here, they sell something different.
Carla Jutson / Meals On Wheels: “For every $25 that we receive, a senior will get meals for an entire week, plus daily visits.”
Members of Arlington Heights United Methodist Church choose to give by making donations to Meals On Wheels in someone else’s name.
Joann Basham / Church Member: “I do it every year. My family has come to expect this instead of something that they really don’t need. And they love it.”
For three years now, the church has held a gift fair, inviting charities to set up booths and offer unconventional gifts, like helping the Humane Society…
Pam Palmer / Humane Society of North Texas: “It costs us about $40, with the rising cost of gas, to fill the tank on our cruelty-investigation vehicles.”
…or helping make a dream come true for a terminally-ill child.
Kathy White / Make A Wish Foundation: “He wanted to be the boss of the ice cream truck because his little friends couldn’t afford to get ice cream when they came by. So he wanted to give his friends free ice cream.”
Natsound: “Got hammers, light fixtures, mini-blinds.”
Natsound: “Let’s give somebody some mini-blinds.”
Donations to Habitat for Humanity will help Ruth McCullough know the real meaning of home for the holidays, when she moves into her own house.
Ruth McCullough / Habitat Homeowner: “That’s going
to make a big difference. I live in an apartment right now. Now I’m
going to be a homeowner, where I can see where my money is going.”
Church members feel they have found the perfect gifts.
Emily Grimes/Member, Arlington Heights United Methodist Church: “They’re going to be getting something that won’t be outgrown or used up or broken.”
And those are the presents that warm the hearts and souls of those receiving … and those who give.
TAG:
The “gift” in the church’s gift shop stands for “gifts inspired by faith and thanksgiving.” The event raises more than ten thousand dollars a year for the charities involved.
For more information, go to: http://www.ahumc.com/giftshop.htm.