In 1997, Eileen Brown, Carole Graham and Evelyn Peterson led the Service Committee at Immanuel to provide gifts, quilts and groceries to families in need in Missoula. Families are identified by our Service Committee. This year families were selected from the Graham House, Washington Middle School and Family Promise Alumni. New families are selected each year.
Immanuel quilters create quilts all year long in anticipation of donating them to the Giving Tree Families. Each child from the Giving Tree families is given a quilt, and each family receives a quilt to remind them of the warmth of God’s love
Contact Nancy Marks (406-396-5494) if you would like to be involved and she is sure to find a way for you to help!
Participants are asked to bring and donate ten items of the same food (CLICK HERE TO VIEW LIST OF FOOD ITEMS -For example, ten cans of tuna fish or ten packages of toilet paper.)
There will be two tables set up in church on Tithing Made Visual Sunday. On one table please put one of your donated items demonstrating the portion God asks back from us. On the other table, put nine of your items, showing how much of our gifts from God we are to keep and enjoy.
Choose a name by signing up online (see link below) or choosing a tag from the Giving Tree in the lobby and put your name in the notebook to indicate you’re taking responsibility for bringing that gift. Extra gifts you’d like to donate will be happily accepted. If they’re wrapped, please put on the box what it is, size, age group it is for. If you donate unwrapped gifts, we have a group of volunteers who will wrap them. Cash donations are also accepted.
Sign up to purchase gifts. Bring gifts back and put them under the giving tree.
Meet at Walmart on North Reserve. Signup on the signup.
Come help put the quilts up in the sanctuary to be blessed before they go to the families.
Come help pack food boxes to go to the families.
Volunteers are needed to set up and serve the refreshments and help families carry their gifts to their cars after they enjoy our “cookie party” with goodies to eat. We will also need volunteers to help kids wrap presents for their family members that they get to “shop” for in our Secret Santa room.
Funding: Funding for the Giving Tree project is obtained through Thrivent Financial Action team Grants, Thrivent Financial Grant, Immanuel’s Endowment Fund, a grant from the Town Pump and through donations from friends and members of Immanuel.