• Have you been wondering what holiday gift to get for your Aunt Flora who has
  everything?
• Does the mall make you crazy and internet shopping leave you cold?
• Do you want to make a positive difference in the world?
• Do you want to give gifts that bring joy and have a ripple effect?

That’s what an Alternative Gift Fair is all about - a way to give holiday gifts that
have a heart!

Tomorrow, Dec. 1 from 1 to 4 p.m., as part of Saxonville's Jingle Bell Day,
Edwards Church will host an Alternative Gift Fair. The Fair will be held in Edwards Hall, on the campus of Edwards Church, just behind Stapleton Elementary School, off of Elm Street.

There will be a wide variety of tables, with the opportunity to purchase many
different items and support many different causes.

High quality handicrafts from around the world will be available at the SERRV
table. SERRV works directly with craftspeople and artists’ cooperatives from around the world, to ensure that the artists themselves receive most of the profit from their work.

Scarves and other fiber art will be sold at the EDWON table. EDWON
(Educating Dalit Women of Nepal) is a grassroots organization of women’s
empowerment and education groups in the poorest parts of Nepal. Women start their own businesses, using revolving loan funds and savings clubs.

A dog calendar, featuring dogs you might have seen around Framingham, will be for sale at the NEADS table. All proceeds from the sale go directly to NEADS (National Education for Assistance Dog Services) to support the training of assistance dogs. calendar sells for $15.

Through Heifer Project, you can make a donation in honor of a friend and give
the gift of trees or bees, goats or geese to help a family become self-sufficient.

Through Church World Service, you can “give” a friend a blanket, which will go to help disaster victims in our own nation and around the world. In both cases, you will receive a gift card to send.

You can also give a donation to the Habitat for Humanity project being
built in Wayland, and you can purchase fair trade coffee, tea, and cocoa.

There will be a photography show by Fran Bogle, entitled “Soaring Spirits.”
Proceeds from sales of the photographs will benefit the Just Peace Players, a drama group that works for justice and peace.