Advent Blog 2020 – #MissionMonday with Emmaus, Inc.

You can donate toiletries by dropping them off at First Congregational Church, 25 Woburn Street, Reading, MA Monday through Thursday from 9 AM to 1 PM until Thursday, December 10. Please use the “Office Door” (the one with wreaths and planters out front) on Sanborn Street. Just inside the door are boxes labeled for our December collections.

Each Monday in Advent we highlight a mission partner, and this week we want to share a little bit about the work of Emmaus, Inc. in Haverhill, MA.

Emmaus, Inc. includes emergency shelter services, access and education towards affordable housing, prevention and stabilization services, and the D’Youville Center for Social Justice. First Congregational Church seeks to support Emmaus, Inc. and its mission to serve the unhoused, unemployed, oppressed, families and individuals needing housing and support services. Throughout the year we offer drives for collections for shelter services and promote the annual Cycle for Shelter fundraiser.

Each December we collect toiletries for the emergency shelter services at Emmaus, and this year is no different! If you have toiletries of any kind (including those little hotel samples as long as they are unused and unopened) we welcome those donations.

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Advent Blog 2020 – #MissionMonday with City Mission Christmas Shop

Each Monday we will post an opportunity to give back (call it #MissionMonday). This week, we highlight City Mission’s annual Christmas Shop, which helps provide gifts for children and families in need.

HOW TO DONATE?
Donating toys, hats, gloves, mittens, clothing, books? Drop them off at the church office door on Sanborn Street from 9 AM – 1 PM, today through Thursday, December 3. There will be a box just inside the entryway to receive donations.

We will also be doing another “drive-by” collection day on Sanborn Street this Sunday, December 6, from 11:30 AM to 2 PM. Just pull up and drop off items (or volunteers can help take them from your trunk). Please wear a mask when making donations.

WHAT TO DONATE?
Monetary donations can be made online here:
https://citymissionboston.org/give
Wishlists and what’s needed can be viewed here:
https://citymissionboston.org/christmas-shop

NEED INSPIRATION?
Shop local — here in Reading you might check out Whitelam Books or Goodhearts Children’s Shop.

This year more than ever it’s important to support local businesses. But you might also want to consider buying gifts from Black, Brown, and Indigenous-owned businesses, and women-owned businesses, when possible. It’s also important that children of color receive toys and books with characters that look like them. There are some resources here, too. Here are some suggestions:

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