The gift of giving
The Santa Fe Alternative Gift Market makes finding the perfect gift easy. Instead of offering traditional services and goods, the market allows one to give a charitable gift on someone else’s behalf. Visitors can browse the offerings of a wide array of nonprofits and choose to make tax-deductible donations for whatever specific services speak to them most — from covering the costs of a night’s stay at the Interfaith Community Shelter to providing a healthcare worker in Zambia with a bicycle. Every donation is then specified in a holiday card that the purchaser can send to the person in whose name the gift has been made.
The Santa Fe Alternative Gift Market has raised more than $100,000 in its first four years and hopes to continue improving on that trajectory in year number five. This year the nonprofit introduces two new participating organizations: Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe — a free English-language tutoring service that helps adults learn to speak, read, and write — and Many Mothers, a free, in-home child-care service dedicated to helping new mothers. Other groups represented include La Familia Medical Center, Esperanza Shelter for Battered Families, and New Mexico Veterans Helping Homeless Veterans.
The market is held at DeVargas Center (564 N. Guadalupe St.) from 3 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 19 (there’s a grand opening at 5:30 with Mayor Javier Gonzales); from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 20, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 21. Admission is free, and the offerings are plentiful. Call 505-983-4671 for information.