GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Instead of handing out gifts to families who might need some help this Christmas, one Grand Rapids ministry is opening up a store inside their facility, where brand-new donated items can be bought by parents who would like to do their own shopping.
“Our parents will be able to experience the same thing I do when I purchase gifts for my kids and watch them open something I specifically picked for them,” Noelle Gable, Interim Executive Director of Urban Family Ministries said. “It’s a sense of dignity.”
And they’re making it all possible through hundreds of donations.
Although UFM is not large enough to serve the entire public, they are able to help the families who participate in the ministry’s programs. They hope to reach out to 200 families.
For those who want to make a donation, new items can be dropped off at the ministry located at 543 Eastern Ave. in Grand Rapids.
And for those who do participate in the church’s programs, the store will be open from Dec. 16 to Dec. 20. There will also be a smaller scale store on Dec. 14 for kids to shop and purchase gifts for their family members.
