Laguna Beach’s Neighborhood Congregational Church is hosting its sixth annual alternative Christmas market, 340 St. Ann’s Drive, which is open to the public on Sunday, Dec. 12, 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Customer purchases last year raised over $6,000 for selected charities and allows children an opportunity to purchase gifts for family members at affordable prices while also learning about the needs of others around the world.
This year, shoppers can again purchase gifts that provide support and sustenance for people in need: annual school tuition for two girls in Afghanistan, flocks of 50 chicks, solar cookers for Darfur refugees, dolls for refugee children in Burma, gardens for Rwandans living with HIV/AIDS, insecticide-treated bed nets to prevent malaria, clean childbirth kits for Third World mothers, soccer balls to build peace through play, a day’s care and feeding for a rescued marine mammal, a weekly one-on-one reading session for an at-risk child.
Crafts made by Third World artisans will also be available, as will olive oil from the Holy Land, fair trade coffees, teas and chocolates, jewelry, reusable shopping bags and special gifts made by the congregation’s children. Delicious homemade treats will be served.
