Advent Giving Tree

Each year for more than twenty years, an important part of the Advent Season is sponsoring the Giving Tree. The parishioners of St. Margaret of York have gathered Christmas gifts for families in need supported by many agencies. The goal of the St. Margaret of York Giving Tree project is to provide specifically selected gifts for the children and adults in these families as well as supporting both the local Loveland Interfaith Effort’s Giving Shoppe and a local pregnancy center. We provide over two thousand gifts each year to these families and agencies. The entire parish community will have the opportunity to participate by purchasing gifts for individuals selected off the Giving Tree. Parish families can chose a particularly wonderful way to share the Spirit of Christmas by sponsoring an entire family. Besides purchasing gifts, parishioners also help with this ministry by decorating the trees with names, replenishing the trees as names are taken, organizing the gifts as they come in, and delivering the gifts before Christmas. Once again, St. Margaret of York Parish puts into practice its mission of “reaching out to those in need.”

This year we are supporting the following agencies:

• Families supported by Christian Appalachian Project (Mt. Vernon, KY)
• Families of St. Peter Claver Latin School for Boys (Over the Rhine)
• The children from Our Lady of the Mountain Parish (Stanton, KY)
• The families supported by our St. Vincent de Paul ministry
• Families from the Lower Price Hill Community School
• Loveland Interfaith Effort’s Giving Shoppe (General gifts)
• Elizabeth New Life Pregnancy Center (Infant gifts)

The schedule for the 2009 Giving Tree is the following:

• Card writing (Youth Group) – Nov 7th
• Cards on Trees – Nov 14th - 29th
• Sorting Day – Dec 6th
• Shopping/Wrapping – Dec 7th
• Delivery – Dec 9th – Dec 14th

If you are interested in sponsoring an entire family or volunteering for sorting or delivery, please email the Luffy’s (even if you volunteered previously): rluffy@cinci.rr.com