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Give a charitable gift
If you're looking for a special and thoughtful gift this holiday season, you're in luck.Saint Gabriel's Church is hosting its fourth annual Alternative Gift Fair Dec. 1 and 2 in Leesburg at the corner of King and Market streets.
The fair features representatives from 13 Loudoun County organizations and allows shoppers to purchase charitable donations to those groups in $10, $25 or $50 amounts.
"It's about helping other people and simplifying Christmas," said Peggy Coleman, spokeswoman for Saint Gabriel's Church. "There is a huge need for services right here in Loudoun County."
The gift of a donation is perfect for everyone, said the Rev. Jeunee Cunningham, pastor at the church.
Your donation could help buy books for needy preschoolers, allow a homeless person to stay in a shelter overnight or help a homeless animal receive a toy for the first time
Donations come inside a holiday card and can also be purchased online at www.saintgabriels.net through Dec. 30.
"We see this as our Christmas present to the community," Cunningham said. "One hundred percent of the proceeds go to the charities. Our sponsors have covered all the costs. Saint Gabriel's doesn't get anything."
Last year the Alternative Gift Fair raised $25,000 for local organizations, and this year the goal is $30,000.
"A lot of [the organizations] have small budgets and staff," Coleman said. "This has given them a really public forum to explain to people their mission."
Donations can be purchased for 13 local groups: Loudoun Families for Children, Loudoun Community Free Clinic, Good Shepherd Alliance Inc., Friends of Loudoun Mental Health, The Arc of Loudoun, Loudoun Literacy Council, Friends of Homeless Animals, Loudoun Cares, La Voz of Loudoun, Loudoun Cares, Link Against Hunger, Loudoun Volunteer Caregivers, Blue Ridge Speech and Hearing, and YMCA Loudoun County.
"Community spirit is really high when people get involved," Coleman said. "You can really make a difference in someone's life."
For more information about the church, which is just outside Leesburg in Lansdowne, or the Alternative Gift Fair, visit www.saintgabriels.net.
Contact the reporter at ecoe@timespapers.com
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