INSTRUCTIONS: PLEASE READ!
This year there are two options for completing your Alternative Christmas donation: 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) 294-6911 or officemanager@claremontucc.org.
STEP 1:
Look through the 18 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.
STEP 2:
CLICK HERE to download the full 2020 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
Though this year's Alternative Christmas Fair may seem a bit different than years past, the spirit of giving is still alive and thriving! Check out the many organizations below and learn more about what they do and how you can support them.
ALL OUR CHILDREN INTERNATIONAL
All Our Children International works with orphaned and disadvantaged children in two regions of Ethiopia. Sponsorship programs, orphanage support, caregiver training programs, tutoring services as well as social service support are all involved in our efforts to create permanent change in the lives of these children.
$15 New shoes for an orphaned child
$25 School supplies for one year
$50 Feed a family of four for one month
CHURCH WORLD SERVICE (CWS)
Church World Service is a faith-based organization transforming communities around the globe through just and sustainable responses to hunger, poverty, displacement and disaster.
These gifts are examples of the hope you bring through CWS programs. When you give a CWS Best Gift, you give fresh food sources to those who are hungry. You provide clean water to those who are thirsty. And you offer welcome to those who are sidelined as strangers. Your generosity goes a long way - and you can feel confident that your gift supports the program sector that the item represents.
$10 CWS blanket
$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 provides homework assistance, recreation, healthy snacks, enrichment activities, and transportation to academically at-risk students in the Claremont Unified School District. Volunteers work with students at five neighborhood centers. With the move to online learning, CLASP Connect was created to help students who struggle with learning online. Volunteer tutors meet with children one-on-one to help them with their assignments, giving academic and social support to students who need it most.
$5 Addition and multiplication flashcards
$5 Set of personal whiteboard, whiteboard markers, and whiteboard eraser (1 ea)
$10 GoMath textbook for Tutor reference and support
CLAREMONT CANOPY
www.facebook.com/claremontcanopy
www.instagram.com/claremontcanopy
www.claremontcanopy.org
Claremont Canopy serves as an ally and advocate to newly-arrived refugees, empowering them to thrive in their new community.
$50 Super King gift card
CLAREMONT COMMUNITY SCHOOL OF MUSIC (CCSM)
Claremont Community School of Music (CCSM) provides need-based scholarships to students unable to afford music lessons. 15% of our students currently receive these funds, which enables them to develop essential life skills through music education. Our Scholarship program is community funded.
$10 Instruction books
$30 Instrument/Equipment rental
$100 Towards Private lessons
CROSSROADS, INC.
For more than forty years Crossroads, Inc. of Claremont has welcomed home women transitioning from prison. This year, Crossroads was able to purchase a third home for their support. We need to outfit this new home and hope you can help us!
$25 Two bed pillows
$40 (or 1 share $10) Twin bed comforter
$80 (or 1 share $20)Garden tool set
$100 (or 1 share $10) Kitchen dinnerware
$120 (or 1 share $20) Pots and pans set
$220 (or 1 share $20) Gas powered lawn mower
Crossroads, Inc. "Thank You" cards are available via the Office Manager. Please email officemanager@claremontucc.org.
CUCC EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER
$25 Day of childcare
FOOTHILL AIDS PROJECT (FAP)
Foothill AIDS Project delivers vital support services to over 3,600 persons living with and at risk for HIV/AIDS in our area. Over 95% of FAP clients live in poverty; 30% are women. FAP assists each client and their families according to need with medical case management, housing, food, transportation, nutrition, mental health, and substance use disorder counseling.
$10 One day of meals for one FAP client
$20 One 30-day bus pass for one FAP client
$40 Food for one FAP client for one week
GLOBAL MINISTRIES
On Tuesday, August 4, 2020, a massive explosion at the port in Beirut, Lebanon sent shockwaves across the city, shattering windows as far as 15 miles from the blast site. This disaster is devastating in a country that continues to experience the Coronavirus pandemic, a severe economic and financial crisis, distrust in government, and is attempting to provide for a refugee population from the decade-long war in Syria next door. Those in Claremont United Church of Christ who want to reach out to the people of Beirut are fortunate to have churches and educational institutions in Beirut that have been our partners for many, many years. We also have two mission-co-workers assigned there now who have even made us a video! We have deep roots in this city and country, as you will see.
$25 Scholarships to the Near East School of Theology for students from the Middle East and Africa (including refugees)
$25 Support for mission co-workers Maria and Nissan Bakalian, Armenian Evangelical (Protestant) Churches in the Near East and Haigazian University
$25 Scholarships at Haigazian University for Lebanese and non-Lebanese alike, including refugees from Syria and Iraq
$25 Support for the Forum of Development, Culture, and Dialogue (FCDC) in trauma support and interfaith relations after the August 4, 2020 explosions
HOUSE OF RUTH
In the midst of a global pandemic and a nationwide outcry for racial justice, survivors of domestic violence and their families need access to crisis safety services more than ever. Although some crime rates have dipped during the pandemic, domestic violence, murder, and aggravated assault rates have been rising. The “Safe at Home” order assumes that home is a safe place. However, for those in abusive relationships, being at home can mean being confined with their abuser. Abusers use violence to gain power and control over their partner, when they experience a loss of control in other aspects of their life, through financial insecurity, uncertainty of the future, or interruptions in day-to-day activities, it is common for them to assert their power by controlling their partner through abuse. Consistent with this, House of Ruth hotline call volume rose 80% during the first months of COVID-19, and the need for safe and stable housing continues to increase for persons experiencing domestic violence.
$10 Gas card for counseling appointments
$20 Supportive counseling services
$25 Day of shelter/food for one
$50 Provide essentials for a family in need
INLAND VALLEY HOPE PARTNERS
Inland Valley Hope Partners (Beta Center/Our House) serves low income and homeless families and individuals in Claremont and twelve surrounding communities by offering emergency food, shelter, education, housing, job search assistance and other supportive services.
$20 Case of peanut butter
$20 Case of diapers
$30 1 night of shelter, 1 person, at Our House
JUSTICE FOR IMMIGRANTS SEEKING ASYLUM (JISA)
Justice for Immigrants Seeking Asylum (JISA) is a Claremont-based network that advocates for justice for asylum seekers detained at the Adelanto detention center and other detention facilities in the San Gabriel Valley. Our core belief is that every person deserves equal opportunity to live a meaningful and fulfilling life. The pandemic has meant we are unable to visit the center and so has forced a change in our activity as we learn to develop new ways to assist seekers find housing and transportation to shelters or the homes of sponsors or families across the United States and sometimes around the world.
$20 Commissary or telephone expenses during detention
$55 Cell phone to assist with communication after release while traveling
$75 Housing and/or transportation upon release
$100 Legal assistance while detained
PETER'S WORK
Located in St. Petersburg, Russia, Peter's Work is a non-denominational Christian educational ministry. The ministry provides year-round support to state-run orphanages where children are very needy, facilitating summer camps, mission trips, hospital visits, church services, and an English club co-sponsored with other Russian partners.
$10 Partial Summer camp fee
$20 Christmas box (1 share)
$40 Christmas box
PILGRIM PINES
Pilgrim Pines is an outreach of the United Church of Christ, owned by the churches of our region--Southern California Nevada Conference. For 75 years our local UCC churches have practiced local mission through camping at Pilgrim Pines. Summer Camp is a labor of love providing children and adults of our member churches with an opportunity to celebrate God's love with all God's children. A special invitation is extended to children and youth registered through county children's services and to adults who have developmental disabilities. Summer Camp at Pilgrim Pines is a place of extravagant welcome. A place where both campers and adult volunteers practice loving God by caring for all of God's creation.
$20 Donation to offset damage from drought, fires, and anticipated flood
$20 Donation to the Endowment Fund
$75 1 share—Campership for weekly summer camp ($350 each)
PILGRIM PLACE
Pilgrim Place is a vibrant and inclusive retirement community committed to justice, peace and care of the earth. Pilgrim Place is an intentional, caring, multi-level community striving to be socially responsible and environmentally sustainable. Residents are active in the life of Pilgrim Place and the wider community in civic, educational, and church activities. They demonstrate that elders can be a rich social resource.
$10 Eyeglasses, one share
$20 Hearing aids, one share
$25 Medications, one share
POMONA VALLEY HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Pomona Valley Habitat for Humanity is a local affiliate who has built 48 homes locally in partnership with Claremont United Church of Christ.
$10 Nails
$25 Roofing
$50 Vanity
$100 Kitchen sink
$250 Windows
$500 Front door
PROJECT SISTER FAMILY SERVICES
Project Sister Family Services is a non-profit rape crisis agency dedicated to reducing the trauma and risk of sexual assault and child abuse. We have 24-hour hotlines to assist with crisis intervention and accompaniment services to forensic medical exams, police reportings, court proceedings, and Title IX meetings. 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. We also offer free community education and violence prevention workshops. All services are completely free of charge.
URBAN MISSION
UrbanMission Community Partners (UMCP) works and walks with families and individuals in and beyond Pomona, California, who are at risk from poverty, hunger, homelessness, incarceration, and/or inadequate education and health care. In collaboration with dozens of partners, UMCP carries out urban farming, community wellness, and restorative justice initiatives. Since COVID-19 began last spring, its Market Box program has directly delivered 37,540 pounds of fresh chemical-free produce (from our farm and others), canned and dry foods, and toiletries to feed more than 6,000 people, particularly children and elderly family members. UMCP also continues its hands-on Restorative Justice work with several dozen people who are currently incarcerated in state prison, and we coordinate reentry navigation annually for 300+ parolees returning to their communities after incarceration. Our InsideOut Art program exhibits/sells art by incarcerated artists, and it facilitates sacred conversations about incarceration.
$30 Market box (one week) to feed a family in need
$30 Restorative Justice Book Group for incarcerated students
$30 InsideOut Art for incarcerated artists
$100 Combination: Feed a family of 5-11 people, provide 2 incarcerated students with book group programming and materials, and provide art supplies for 2 incarcerated artists
WINE TO WATER
Wine To Water distributes ceramic water in many parts of the world including East Africa, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. These filters: ● Save hundreds of lives (particularly infants from dysentery) ● Last 5+ years ● Present a cost-effective alternative to bottled water or boiling water (which typically uses limited resources like firewood, charcoal or propane) ● Are simple to use and do not require electricity or running water ● Provide access to clean, safe water
$25 1 share—Water filter ($50 each)
$50 Water filter
Cards from Wine to Water are available to let your family/friends know that you have made a contribution in their honor. If you wish to have a card(s) delivered directly to you, please contact Kay at (909) 633-2022.