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Materials and Resources for the Alternative Gift Market

The Episcopal Media Center (EMC) handles order fulfilment for Episcopal Relief & Development materials. To place orders, please visit the online Episcopal Marketplace, call 1.866.937.2772 or email sales@episcopalmedia.org. A minimal shipping and handling fee will be added to orders, which are otherwise free of charge.

Get started with free materials and other resources.

To hold an Alternative Gift Market you will need the following items. Please be sure to place orders at least four (4) full weeks before your event to ensure delivery before the day of your event.

Gifts for Life catalogs
These catalogs replace traditional mail order catalogs and offer your congregation dozens of ways to purchase gifts for their friends and family that make a lasting impact on people in need around the world. If you’re planning a Christmas-season market, special Christmas catalogs are available.

Hope Chests
Hope Chests give the children of your parish the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people in need. Hope Chests can be ordered prior to an Alternative Gift Market and distributed in Sunday school or youth group. Encourage children to make some sacrifices — like giving up a favorite snack, or their weekend movie — to fill their Hope Chest and bring it to the Alternative Gift Market. (The Hope Chest Activity Sheet will also help them understand how the money they put into the Hope Chest will impact another child’s life.) We ask that parents help children count the contents of the Hope Chest, and write a check for the amount to Episcopal Relief & Development.

To order Gifts for Life catalogs and Hope Chests, visit the Episcopal Media Center's online Episcopal Marketplace or call the toll-free number listed above. Please indicate that you are calling about Episcopal Relief & Development’s Alternative Gift Market.

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Gift Cards
When people purchase items from the Gifts for Life  catalog, they receive cards to send to those individuals they are honoring with a gift. These simple cards are a nice way to share your thoughts and well wishes, and to let your friends and family know how your gift helps people around the world. When considering how many cards to order, think about how many items will be purchased. We recommend that you order two to three cards for each participant expected.

Please order gift cards directly from Episcopal Relief & Development by emailing
er-d@er-d.org or calling 1.800.334.7626 ext. 5129.

Additional resources to help you plan a successful event

Adapt this program to the needs of your parish and be as creative as you like. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact us.

Information and downloadable resources: 

• Promote your church’s event with the suggested text in the bulletin insert.
   
• Offer participants a shopping list on the day of the market.
   
• Coloring Book Fun Pages for children — Let kids color pictures of animals they helped purchase at the market.
   
• Create awareness by offering information on:
  
  
  • Bishops Blend Coffee and Tea — Serve our coffee and tea at your event and educate your church on the importance of supporting growers of fair trade, organic, shade-grown products. Order Bishops Blend for your church from Pura Vida's wholesale site.
     
  • Episcopal Relief & Development programs or the different regions Where We Work — You can use the information to educate your church on the work that Episcopal Relief & Development is doing through our Anglican partners to help vulnerable people around the world.
     
• Use a mosquito image to promote NetsforLife^®. Enhance a malaria net display with these images and remind parishioners of the serious threat posed by these deadly insects.
   
• Find more suggestions on our Get Creative with Gifts for Life page.
   

Questions?

Questions about the Alternative Gift Market should be directed to Pamela Penn, Program Officer, at churchengagement@er-d.org or 212.716.6071.

Questions about ordering materials should be directed to Episcopal Media Center.

See also:

• How to Hold an Alternative Gift Market