In previous years, we have held the “Adopt-a-family” program at Christmas time. We want to give more than gifts to the families we serve. We want to give dignity to our families. To do this, we created a “Christmas Shoppe” where families involved in our programs can purchase gifts and have a personal investment in giving to their family at Christmas.
Our first year of the UFM Christmas Shoppe was a success! We received donations from more than 25 families and businesses, giving our Shoppe a wide variety of items to offer UFM parents at a greatly reduced price. There were board games, sports equipment, coloring books, clothing, kitchen utensils, housewares, and much, much more! All donated items were brand new, including some handmade blankets, hats and scarves. Because of the generous people who donated these gifts, Urban Family Ministries was, in turn, able to touch nearly 50 families and over 200 individuals in 2012.
The Christmas Shoppe was well-received by our parents! A few quotes from those shopping were:
“The Christmas Shoppe was a tremendous blessing to my family. I wasn’t going to be able to buy gifts this year for my kids but you helped make it possible!” - single mom of 3
"I hope you are doing the Shoppe again next year. Now that I know what you have, I’m going to save more money for next year’s Christmas shopping!” - single mom of 5
“I did not have enough money to shop at the retail stores. I was able to shop with a small amount of money in your Christmas Shoppe. It made me feel good to shop, buy things for my kids, wrap them and then have gifts under the tree for them on Christmas.” - a single mom of 3
We'll begin accepting new items for our 2nd Annual Christmas Shoppe this November.
Click here for a list of suggested items you can look for and click here for details on how you can donate these new items. Help a family take steps towards breaking the cycle of dependency and entitlement. THANK YOU for your desire to make the Christmas Shoppe a wonderful experience for our families!