By: Ruehlman Family

Giving Tree 2024 Recap

The Giving Tree is an annual outreach to our neighbors who need assistance during the holiday season. It gives us the chance to see old friends, assist new, or offer a hand to someone we didn’t even know needs it. This year the Giving Tree helped approximately 300 children have a brighter Christmas. Whether it be through buying the gift yourself, shopping online, or providing the resources to families to shop for the perfect gift themselves – thank you! Thank you to everyone who participated in the Giving Tree this year. Because of you, Mount Carmel Christian Church, we couldn’t serve our neighbors each year.

This year, as families picked up their items from the church, we handed each of them an invitation to Christmas Eve Candlelight service and information about our Family Ministry. These invitations extended olive branches to acquaintances we wished to make friends. Some of them were interested and asked follow up questions allowing us to minister to them in other ways than just Christmas. These conversations showed avenues that we can pursue in our community that need additional help and ways we can continue to make an impact. The youth of our area are seeking friendships in spaces that give them sound guidance and purpose; something our Student Ministry team can offer. We had opportunity to strengthen our friendships and relationships with families at a local elementary school by serving over 30 kids from the school and their families. Occasionally our friends are a little far away. This year we helped 15 seniors that are part of the Happy Church community.

Whether close or far, the Giving Tree provided a helping hand to new and old friends. There are opportunities everywhere to make new friends; you just have to extend the olive branch.

Here are the numbers:
107 families
14 = Merwin Elementary
295 children
15 seniors
All from the Happy Church
566 gifts/ gift cards to fulfill family request
207 physical gifts
320 gift cards ($11,630)
129 = $30 Walmart ($3,870)
57 = $50 Walmart ($2,850)
72 = $30 Target ($2,160)
27 = $50 Target ($1,350)
35 = $40 Grocery ($1,400)
121 cookie kits
COUNTLESS smiles and thank you’s!