THIS YEAR'S IN-PERSON ALTERNATIVE CHRISTMAS FAIR WILL TAKE PLACE ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7!
Alternative Christmas is a church-sponsored giving event to encourage donations to community organizations in lieu of traditional tangible gifts. Gifts can be made on behalf of your loved ones. All of the participating organizations were nominated by church members.
Take your time looking through the incredible organizations on this page, then join us on Sunday, December 7 to meet representatives from the organizations and purchase your Alternative Christmas gifts!
(If you can't join us in-person on Dec. 7, you can still participate anytime in December. Please read the "At-Home Instructions" below!)
AT-HOME INSTRUCTIONS:
This year there are two options for completing your Alternative Christmas donation from home: Mail in a check (along with a printed-out shopping list) or submit an electronic payment online (along with an online shopping list).
If you have any questions or would like assistance, please contact the Office Manager at (909) 626-1201 or officemanager@claremontucc.org.
STEP 1:
Look through the amazing organizations below to decide what you would like to give! Under each organization's section you will find photos, a short video, the items available for "purchase" on their shopping list, and more. (The “items” describe examples illustrating the work of the organization, not a mandatory accounting category.)
STEP 2:
CLICK HERE to download the full 2025 Alternative Christmas Shopping List.
Fill it out to tally up your total donation!
STEP 3:
After you have made your selections and are ready to submit your payment and shopping list, follow the instructions below:
Paying by CHECK:
- Please send only one check for the full total of your donations
- The check should be made out to “Claremont United Church of Christ” with “Alternative Christmas” noted in the memo line
- Please include a copy of your filled-out shopping list with your check!
- Your check and shopping list should be mailed to:
Claremont United Church of Christ
233 W. Harrison Ave.
Claremont, CA 91711
Paying by CARD or BANK TRANSFER:
- You will need to fill out an “online shopping list” before submitting your credit card payment
- Click the "PAY BY CARD/BANK TRANSFER" button below to fill out the online shopping list
- After your form is submitted, you will be automatically directed to our online payment page to complete your donation
"MEET" THE ORGANIZATIONS
Check out the many organizations below and learn more about what they do and how you can support them!
BEYOND BORDERS
Since 2018, Beyond Borders supporters have accompanied nearly 700 rural Haitian families in their journey to permanently escape extreme poverty, equipping them with the skills they need to begin earning a living so that they can provide for themselves, send their children to school, and live with independence.
We’re using an approach called The Graduation Model, proven globally to help families lift themselves out of extreme poverty in 24 months — and stay out. (The link is to an article in Science Magazine that summarizes the MIT study of the method.)
$ 24 provides one week of support for a Haitian family
$100 provides one month of support for a Haitian family
CHURCH WORLD SERVICE (CWS)
Church World Service is a faith-based organization transforming communities worldwide through just and sustainable responses to hunger, poverty, displacement, and disaster. Since 1946, CWS has provided disaster relief, refugee assistance, and opportunities that empower individuals and communities to thrive. But this year, recent administration policies have severely limited our ability to serve, making your gift more critical than ever. CWS Orange County office focuses on gap services for refuges, your support will be crucial to helping families rebuild their lives with dignity and keep hope alive.
$15 10 concrete blocks for house walls in Haiti
$35 Drop-in shelter services for a child for a week in Serbia
$60 Home gardening for three families in Indonesia
CLAREMONT AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM (CLASP)
CLASP is a not-for-profit organization that for 20 years has provided quality after-school homework help to academically struggling elementary students referred by the Claremont Unified School District. Our tutors, including community members, college and high school students, volunteer their time to provide one-on-one assistance to approximately 80 students. Your donation helps to pay for a small staff to run three tutoring sites, a healthy snack, and monthly enrichment activities.
CLASP has offered after-school homework help to academically at-risk elementary students in the Claremont Unified School District since 2005. The program resulted from the merger of local tutoring sites run by the National Council of Negro Women with the Claremont Youth Wellness Center based at Saint Ambrose Church. Our all-volunteer 20-member board includes representatives from the city, the school district, and others who have held leadership positions in community organizations and service clubs. CLASP operates seven in-person tutoring sessions that meet two days a week for 90 minutes Monday-Thursday at three locations. CLASP tutors work to meet the changing needs of students by providing individualized academic assistance and a supportive environment. We offer monthly enrichment activities such as a visit to the library or a time to learn about science, healthy habits, or engage in organized recreation. There is no question that CLASP changes lives, one student at a time, and prepares academically vulnerable students for scholastic success.
$20 A new book for one child
$50 A year of monthly enrichment activities for one child
$250 One month of the tutoring program cost for one child
CLAREMONT COMMUNITY SCHOOL OF MUSIC (CCSM)
The mission of Claremont Community School of Music is to enrich the lives of individuals and the community through music; to provide outstanding instruction for amateur and aspiring professional musicians of all ages; to reach out to the community through diverse programs and public performances; to promote and nurture a lifelong passion for music; and most importantly to make music education available to all …one note at a time.
$10 Instruction books
$30 Instrument/Equipment rental
$100 Towards Private lessons
CLAREMONT MEALS ON WHEELS
Our Mission: Claremont Meals on Wheels utilizes caring volunteers to deliver hot lunches and promote social wellness to older adults and people who are disabled or chronically ill so they can live with dignity in the comfort of their own homes.
Since 1972 Claremont Meals on Wheels has operated as a private, nonprofit, all-volunteer organization with approximately 140 volunteers who pack and/or deliver the meals. The meals are reasonably priced and a reduced price is available to income-qualifying clients. Nutritious, well-balanced lunches are delivered Monday through Friday throughout the year, including all holidays. Meals are prepared by the culinary staff of the Mt. San Antonio Gardens retirement facility.
$3 Holiday subsidized meal
$14 1 week of subsidized meals
$55 1 month of subsidized meals
CLAREMONT UCC EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER
$25 Day of childcare
INLAND COALITION FOR IMMIGRANT JUSTICE.
The Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice uplifts the strength, contributions, and leadership of the one million immigrants who shape the Inland Empire - driving justice, dignity, and collective power in our communities. Donations will go directly to families and individuals impacted by immigrant detention or deportation.
$10 Toiletries for travel (soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc.)
$20 Backpacks
$40 Sets of undergarments (socks, undershirts, underwear, etc.), beanies, gloves, scarfs
Download a "Thank You" card HERE.
DAVID & MARGARET FOSTER CARE & ADOPTION AGENCY
David & Margaret Foster Care and Adoption Agency is a non-profit organization that serves children ranging in age from birth to 18 years old, who will not be spending the holidays with their families. We provide the opportunity for a child to experience a stable normal family environment with loving foster parents or through adoption. This year, for our Annual Bright Angel Scroll Program, we are inviting businesses, community partners, and individuals to get involved, and sponsor a child’s “wish list” for the Holidays!
$40 Foster & Family Adoption Services
HOUSE OF RUTH
House of Ruth has provided comprehensive domestic violence services in Southern California communities for over 47 years. We serve over 15,000 community members through our 24-Hour Hot-line, Residential Shelter, Transitional and Permanent Housing Programs, Youth and Adult Counseling, Children’s Program, Legal Advocacy, Community Outreach, and Prevention Education.
We believe that everybody deserves to live their life free of violence. All donations received go towards the programs and services offered free of charge to domestic violence survivors and their families.
$10 Residential Shelter Program
$25 Children's Program
$50 Counseling Program
INLAND VALLEY HOPE PARTNERS
$25 Provides a family of Four with Food for approximately 5 days $50 Purchase 250lbs of Food from the LA Regional Food Bank $100 Provides One Night of Shelter and Services for an Unhoused Family $250 Provides a Shelf of Food at the newly relocated Beta Center in Pomona
(CLICK HERE for more information on Inland Valley Hope Partners.)
MARERA COMMUNITY SELF-HELP PROJECT (MCSHP) - KENYA
Founded in 2006, Marera Community Self-Help Project (MCSHP) is a Community based and driven Non- Profit Organization. It was born out of a desire for a holistic approach to serve HIV/AIDS Orphans, other vulnerable children and their caregivers in Marera, Kenya, and the greater Community. Marera is a village located 4 miles South of the Equator, near Lake Victoria, in Kisumu District, Nyanza Province, Kenya. MCSHP is a 501(C)3 Non- Profit Organization registered in California, U.S.A.
$15School lunches (per student, per month)
$20 School books (per student, per year)
$30 Tuition support (per student, per semester)
Download a "Thank You" card HERE.
JUSTICE FOR IMMIGRANTS SEEKING ASYLUM (JISA)
JISA, Justice for Immigrants Seeking Assistance, founded in 2018, a long-time mission partner of Claremont UCCC, seeks to help immigrants who are struggling with the exigencies of daily life in the US as well as their special needs due to their legal status. Composed of people who are members of local faith groups, JISA provides relief in a number of ways, from visits to immigrants who are incarcerated in detention facilities; to help paying bills for life’s necessities; and supporting the efforts of sister groups like ICE out of Pomona through the purchase of safety materials and covering the cost of informational materials.
Recently, JISA expanded its mission from a focus solely on asylum seekers, since the federal government has shutdown the border, to efforts helping all immigrants who now find themselves targets of the government. Fear of being arrested, detained, and deported has caused our neighbors in places like Pomona, Ontario, Montclair, Chino and even here in Claremont to remain at home, instead of working and going to school. As a result, JISA members have participated in programs such the grocery delivery program organized by Uncommon Good, marching and going on security patrols with members of ICE out of Pomona, helping to underwrite some of the living expenses of those who have lost family breadwinners to ICE raids, and the cost of supplies used in resistance protests and security patrols. We do not see the end of the need to help our immigrant sisters and brothers coming anytime soon, so JISA would definitely appreciate, more than ever, the support of the CUCCC family.
$25 for safety vests used in ICE protest
$35 for a grocery card or ride hail service
$50 to help with legal fees
NEWCOMERS ACCESS CENTER
Newcomers Access Center (NAC) helps refugee and immigrant families connect with appropriate services and resources in order to aid them to become self-sufficient and integrate meaningfully into the larger society. NAC finds organizations to work with newcomers to build integrated communities where all cultures are respected.
Your generous support will allow Newcomers Access Center (NAC) to continue to give refugees and immigrants access to what they need to integrate into their new communities. We remain steadfast to our mission to aid families on their road to independence. NAC provides shelter, food, transportation, clothing, backpacks, driving lessons, baby items, gift cards, employment help, resume writing, legal assistance, computers and bikes along with English lessons and more. Come visit. CUCC, Suite B5.
$25 Gift cards (food, diapers, personal items)
$40 Baby Needs (diapers, strollers, car seats)
$100 Rent Supplements
PACIFIC LIFELINE
Who we are: We are Pacific Lifeline, a long-term transitional shelter for women and their children in Upland.
What we do: We provide housing, essentials, and supportive services such as case management, therapy, children's programs, and life skills education so that women can leave homelessness behind and support their children.
How your donations are used: 100% of donations go toward the designated projects of Claremont United Church of Christ's Alternative Christmas.
$25 Supplies to get rooms ready for new resident families
$50 Program Services (case manaement services, therapy, etc.)
$75 Building Renovation Fund
PETER'S WORK
The children and the elderly are the most vulnerable in Russia and Ukraine. This was true before the war but is even more so now. We work in and through the Russian speaking churches in Russia and Ukraine. In the St Petersburg region we carry out ministry inside 9 orphanages, 2 group homes for disabled adults, and a shelter for women and their children. In Ukraine, we are supporting three orphanages and three shelters for refugees. We are feeding more than 1,000 seniors, children and refugees weekly. We've supplied Ukrainian churches with 7 vans and minibuses and ongoing food supplies and equipment that are delivered into villages on the front lines of the war.
Peter's Work is a charitable organization, formed in 2005, by missionaries to Russia Sam and Yulia Naylor. This is our 6th year participating in the Alternative Christmas program.
$45 Christmas gift for a Russian or Ukrainian orphan
$160 Buys 1 ton of potatoes (2,660 potatoes) for Ukrainian refugess and families at risk
$100 Van for feeding & evacuating pensioners & the disabled ($12,000)
PILGRIM PINES
Pilgrim Pines Camp, a ministry of the UCC, is an inclusive and safe environment which hosts everything from summer camp to adult retreats. Your donation will be used to support campers who do not have the financial ability to attend camp.
Pilgrim Pines has been serving youth, families, congregations, and visitors for over 80 years, hosting the first summer camp in 1944. Our camps mission of affirming persons of all ages, sexes, genders, gender expressions, sexual orientations, racial or ethnic backgrounds, socio-economic positions, intellectual, developmental, emotional, and physical abilities, or religious affiliation while seeking to provide an inclusive and safe environment for personal and spiritual growth; nurture community by building personal relationships and encouraging care and concern for all of God’s creation is unique in design and providing an extravagant welcome to all.
$25 art and educational supplies
$125 1 day camper scholarship
$250 2 day camper scholarship
PILGRIM PLACE RESIDENT HEALTH & SUPPORT PROGRAM
Pilgrim Place is an open and welcoming retirement community; celebrating the collective spirit of residents who are dedicated to Justice, Peace and Care of the Earth. Alternate Christmas money donated to Pilgrim Place will go to the Residents Health and Support Program, helping those for whom medical expenses, or the cost of daily living, exceeds their resources.
Woven into the many rituals and practices at Pilgrim Place are themes of caring for each other, advocacy for social justice, support of local and global peace, and a passion for environmental stewardship. Intention acts of service, friendship, and activism are at the core of the Pilgrim Place community. The Resident Health and Support Program is a fund that assists residents when medical expenses or the cost of daily living exceeds their resources. The Annual Festival, held every November, and organized by residents, also raises money to support this important effort.
$25 Rental Assistance General Fund
$50 Rental Assistance General Fund
$100 Rental Assistance General Fund
POMONA VALLEY HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Your gift to Pomona Valley Habitat for Humanity helps us to continue to build or renovate homes locally for people in need! PV Habitat for Humanity is the local chapter of a non-profit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry, serving 16 local cities.
Habitat for Humanity was founded on the conviction that every man, woman, and child should have a simple, durable place to live in dignity and safety, and that decent shelter in decent communities should be a matter of conscience and action for all. To accomplish these goals, we invite people of all backgrounds, races, and religions to build houses together in partnership with families in need.
$25 Roofing materials
$50 Vanity
$100 Kitchen sink
(CLICK HERE for additional information about Habitat for Humanity.)
PROJECT SISTER FAMILY SERVICES
Project Sister Family Services is the local rape crisis center, and we service 21 different cities within East San Gabriel and Inland Valleys of Southern California. All of our services are completely free, and they are available to those impacted by sexual assault and child abuse. We have a 24- hour hotline that assists with crisis intervention as well as accompaniment services to law enforcement, hospital for forensic exams, court proceedings as well as Title IX processings. We offer counseling to adult survivors of sexual violence, and to child victims of any type of child abuse, school-based bullying, and witnesses to crimes. Through our outreach department we are able to provide violence prevention with a trauma informed approach.
WITNESSING MINISTRIES OF CHRIST
Since 1984, Witnessing Ministries of Christ has worked to bring education and empowerment to Dalit children in rural India. Through the work of indigenous teachers and staff at established school centers, children living in extreme poverty have the opportunity to access a full education, from primary school to through university.
Our philosophy is to help people so they can stand on their own feet. This is the reason we educate children to make them fully capable to learn, earn their own living, and advance their families to a better life. In its 40th year, the hallmarks of the ministry are:
- A mobile Exodus Church that is active in 22 counties in the western half of Uttar Pradesh, marking a decade of being self-sustaining through offerings of the poorest people.
- Schools operate with a workforce of those who have gone out to gain college degrees and returned to serve their own people.
- Strategic placement of centers in eight counties to augment the opportunity to spread widely among impoverished people. One-fifth of all outcastes (Dalits) live in Uttar Pradesh. From the chaos of the villages, people freely discover peace and inspiration here. Students in the ministry schools come from the families of the church. Through faith and education, the students develop as a source of progress for their communities.
$25 Books for school libraries
$45 Education for a Dalit child
$50 Help buy a new School Bus
