- By Wendy Skinner
- Around Town
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Some of the gifts in this year's Fair were toothbrushes and hygeine supplies for homeless persons; a week of hot meals delivered to a local shut-in; events to keep the native Mohawk language alive; tutoring for a struggling Ithaca school student; an advocate to help the needy navigate medical appointments and forms; and food for an "animal ambassador" used to educate children about the natural world. For every purchase, shoppers received a gift card and an insert explaining the gift.
"Shoppers at the Fair chose gifts that support local charities rather than conventional, material 'stuff,'" said Skinner. "The gifts have lasting meaning for both the giver and the receiver, and they also reduce the impact on the environment."
The organizations ranged from large to small, from the well-established to the relatively new, and covered a broad spectrum of charitable activities. Among the participants were the Cayuga Nature Center, the Family Reading Partnership, Heart's Cry, Ithaca Breast Cancer Alliance, the Learning Web, Shared Journeys, Suicide Prevention and Crisis Services, Sustainable Tompkins, and the Village at Ithaca.
"Many people commented on the relaxed, cordial atmosphere of the event. Donors could spend all the time they wanted, learning about the organizations and visiting with other Fair-goers," said Skinner.
The Fair has devised a record-keeping system that allows it to report to each organization how much money was collected, who the donors were, and what gifts were purchased, said Allen Quirk, a Fair team member who manned the checkout line for over five hours.
The Ithaca Alternative Gift Fair is sponsored by Tompkins Community Action and the CRESP Center for Transformative Action, which provide in-kind support. The Fair's all-volunteer organizing team consists of Anke Wessels, Allen Quirk, Christian Nielsen, Edie Reagan, Virginian Bryant, Ruth Richardson, and Wendy Skinner.
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