Alternative Gift Market
The Ames, Iowa, Alternative Gift Market is affiliated with Alternative Gifts International, and the UUFA Alternative Gift Market Working Group coordinates the Fellowship's involvement with this annual project.
If you have questions about the Ames Alternative Gift Market, contact Bonnie Bowen (515-292-6923).
21th Annual– Ames AGM
Downtown Market Day
Wheatsfield Grocery Cooperative
Saturday December 10, 10 am -5 pm
Alternative Gifts at the UUFA
November 27 - Shopping lists available
December 4, 11, 18 - Orders taken and cards available
The year 2010 marked the 20th anniversary of the Ames Area Alternative Gift Market (AGM) and mor
e than 25 years of service of its parent organization, Alternative Gifts International (AGI), headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. The Collegiate Presbyterian Church was the first congregation to sponsor an Alternative Gift Market in Ames. Currently, the Ames Area Alternative Gift Market is sponsored by 10 local congregations and is organized by a committee of representatives from those congregations. The Ames Area Alternative Gift Market is one of the most successful of more than 300 gift markets nationwide.
As part of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Ames Area AGM, we compiled a history that highlights the growth of this ecumenical activity and the impact it has had on social services and charities in Ames and around the world. Information for this history was contributed by Judie Hoffman, one of the original founders of the Ames Alternative Gift Market, and by Roberta Abraham, and Bonnie Bowen, two members of the current Ames AGM committee.
First we provide an answer to the question: What is the Ames Alternative Gift Market?
What is the Ames Alternative Gift Market?
The Alternative Gift Market offers gifts with a conscience. Donors have the option to designate charitable gifts through carefully selected agencies in the name of their relatives, friends and associates. For 20 years, the market in Ames has offered a chance to help needy families nearby and far away with a wide selection of meaningful, life-giving gifts that can change Ames or the world.
The Alternative Gift Market is a chance for frustrated shoppers to find that perfect gift for someone who has everything; a chance to find exactly what they need. Instead of buying yet another sweatshirt or electronic gadget, a shopper might purchase construction materials to stop degradation of watersheds in Afghanistan. Or make possible training in solar cooking for women in Kenya. Or support the homeless at Emergency Residence Project in Ames. Or buy a cow to improve the lives of poor families in Mozambique.
Shoppers get an attractive card to send to the person on their holiday lists, telling them about the gift given in their honor and telling them that this holiday season, a gift will make a difference in the world. All donations through the purchase of alternative gifts are tax-deductible.
Since its inception AGI has been the catalyst that has allowed gift-givers to donate more than $19 million dollars to numerous charities worldwide on behalf of a loved one. Ames Area Alternative Gift Market is one of six markets in Iowa.
1991-1994: The Ames Area AGM’s beginning and early growth
The idea of an Alternative Christmas Market originated in 1980 with Harriet Pritchard, then the director of children’s ministries at the Pasadena, California, Presbyterian church. Her goal was to provide an activity that would demonstrate to children that they can make a difference by giving to help the world’s poor.
The idea has been so successful that today many churches across the United States and in several other countries sponsor markets. Since 1986, when Harriet Prichard incorporated AGI, millions of dollars have been given to the poor and underprivileged.
At the suggestion of Pastor Art Sundstrom, an Alternative Christmas Market was first organized and promoted in Ames by Collegiate Presbyterian Church (CPC) in 1991. Art brought the idea from his previous church in San Antonio, Texas. CPC held the market in its Social Hall. It was a project of CPC’s Church and Society Committee and was chaired by Judie Hoffman and Sandra McJimsey.
The hall was filled with market booths org
anized by various church committees. At each booth shoppers could learn about specific life-sustaining projects for the poor and for the planet, and then fill out a “shopping list” of the projects they wished to support. At the checkout table, they paid for their gifts and received in return a description of each project they had selected along with a decorative card to be sent to someone on the donor’s Christmas list.
Pastor Sundstrom had reported that at his Texas church the market was outdoors and featured live animals representing some of the gifts persons could purchase. Although November in Iowa meant that CPC would have an indoor market, we decided to have a few animals, too. A good attraction, they w
ere enjoyed by shoppers and booth-keepers alike.
Photo: Worldly Goods store display
The Worldly Goods shop in Ames was invited to participate in the market, and it featured several tables full of craft wares made by people in third world countries. These gift items nicely complemented the alternative gifts.
The market was open to the public and CPC publicized it throughout the central Iowa area. The two-day market generated so much enthusiasm that CPC decided to make the gift materials available for sale each Sunday morning through most of December. By the time the project concluded, over 100 individuals had contributed to its success. The project raised about $15,000 for worthy mission projects throughout the world and in Ames, thanks to members of CPC and the community who shopped at the market.
The 1992 market was again offered by CPC, generally following the 1991 model. Given the popularity of the market over two years and hoping to build on these successes, CPC’s organizing committee decided to explore the possibility of ecumenical leadership and sponsorship for subsequent markets. They were successful: in the next two years, CPC was joined by Northminster Presbyterian, Collegiate United Methodist, and Bethesda Lutheran churches. In 1993, the market was held at Fellows School and in 1994 it was held at Bethesda Lutheran Church, where it remained for 10 years.
Beginning with the first market in 1991, the organizers in Ames added local charitable organizations to the
national and international projects selected by Alternative Gifts International. In the first year, donors could support the Emergency Residence Project, and in 1992-1994, other local agencies that were supported included ACCESS, People Place, AIDS coalition, and street kits for homeless kids. In 1993, there was a special fund for flood relief through MICA. During the first four years, donors contributed more than $11,000 for local charities and more than $46,000 for national and international projects through AGI.
Photo: Emergency Residence Project display
1995-1999: Increasing impact and growth of Ames Area AGM
Between 1995 and 1999 the ecumenical collaboration of the Ames Area AGM increased,
with the additional of several new congregations: in 1995, First Baptist and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, and in 1998, Friends, First United Methodist, and United Church of Christ Congregational became co-sponsors of the Ames Area AGM. Thus, in 1998 and 1999 nine congregations co-sponsored the Market Day at Bethesda Lutheran Church and collected contributions in their individual churches in November and December. During this period several additional local projects were added, including Bethesda Food Pantry, Habitat for Humanity, and Good Neighbor Emergency Assistance, while some were not continued. Donations and participation from the community continued to grow, with total contributions in 1999 reaching over $19,000.
Photo: Market Day at Bethesda Lutheran Church
2000-2005: Outreach beyond the sponsoring congregations
In 2000, St. Cecilia became the 10th congregation to co-sponsor the Ames Area AGM. Market Days at Bethesda Lutheran Church were busy with displa
ys provided by the congregations (many using items from “culture kits” borrowed from the Iowa State Foreign Student Office), entertainment, refreshments, shopping lists, holiday cards, and a table of free- trade gifts from Worldly Goods. The Ames community donated more than $20,000 each year for the local, national and international projects.
By this time, it was clear that the Ames Area AGM had developed a local following of people who chose to give “alternative gifts” to their loved ones for the holidays. However, the organizing committee noticed that while participation by congregation members was high, attendance at the Market Day was declining. They began to look for ways to introduce the AGM to others outside o
f their own congregations. In 2004 and 2005 Dave Briseno of Northminster Presbyterian Church approached the North Grand Mall and the AGM was invited to participate in Community Day, an educational event, then to host a “Market Day” to accept donations for Alternative Gifts. Although the amount of money collected at those events was not great, the committee felt that expansion into the community was valuable. At the end of the 2005 market season, the group began investigating other venues that would provide a location with easy access and that would allow us to display our materials for several different days.
2006-2009: AGM in downtown Ames
In 2006, First United Methodist Church invited the Ames Area AGM to host their Market Days at the Spiritual Development Center across from the
Post Office. For the next four years, Market Days were held there on weekends in November and December when the downtown merchants were sponsoring special shopping days. Advertisements in the Tribune, Advertiser, and other local media alerted the community to the availability of alternative gifts in a convenient location and on multiple shopping dates. Although most of the donations received each year were still collected in the churches, the organizers remained committed to informing members of the Ames community of the availability of alternative gifts, even if they did not attend one of the co-sponsoring churches. In these last four years, the Ames Area AGM also expanded the list of local agencies that we support, including Food at First, Story County Community Dental Clinic, Global Builders (Ames High Uganda Project), and the Ames-ISU YWCA.
Photo: AGM in downtown Ames location
2010: the 20th anniversary year
To celebrate this 20th anniversary year of the Ames Alternative Gift Market, the organizers held a full-scale market similar to the one held the first year, with all the excitement and enthusiasm that accompanied that event. The 20th anniversary market was held at Collegiate Presbyterian Church and was a huge success.
People of the Market
Over the years, many people have contributed their time and talents to making the AGM a success. While it is impossible to list them all, we would like to honor the following:
Art Sundstrom, Judie Hoffman, and Sandra McJimsey, organizers of the first AGM in Ames.
Dennis Byrne, the longest serving member of the AGM committee and Business Manager for many years.
Brian Meyer, the representative from Bethesda Lutheran Church for many years and convener of the AGM committee until he stepped down in 2008.
Photo: Musical entertainment at Market DayRoberta Abraham, representative from Collegiate Presbyterian Church, who provided the stimulus for the 20th anniversary Market Day at CPC and this history of the Ames Area AGM.
Bonnie Bowen and Cynthia Shriver, who organized the activities for the market since 2008.
The 50+ people who have represented their churches on the AGM committee over 20 years.
Ames Artists Dick Young, Mary Young and Paul Lem, who contributed woodcut designs for greeting cards to supplement the selection provided by AGI.
The many entertainers who delighted market-goers during the years the market was held at Bethesda Lutheran, including the Collegiate Methodist Brass, the Moingona Girl Scouts, the Fellowship Folk (Unitarian Universalist), the Bethesda instrumental ensemble, the United Church of Christ girls’choir. Hollis Munro (singer)( and Ken Hanson (pianist), First Baptist Choir, Bethesda Bell Choir, St. Cecilia Singers, and Bluemoon Players.
The staff of the various local charitable organizations who supplemented the national and international AGI offerings with booths and information about their own needs.
Four of these groups applied for and received grants from national AGI projects set up to provide assistance to well-run programs for food and shelter in the U.S. These groups were Bethesda Food Pantry, Emergency Residence Project, ACCESS, and Good Neighbor Emergency Assistance.
Photos: Bethesda Community Food Pantry and Good Neighbor Emergency Assistant provide displays about their organizations at a Market Day.
