Holiday Giving and Mitten Tree

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Winston Churchill

We have just completed an incredible season of giving at UCE. The Mitten Tree and other giving has been record-breaking. Our goal is not to break records, but to share our bounty, our wonderful, safe, privileged, and ordered lives with others.

It is important to think about who we have served. Curt’s Café students are learning restaurant skills and life skills, and the internship at Curt’s may provide them a path toward less risky living and a future with a skill set. This year, in addition to the current students, we provided grab bag and gift cards for returning students. Curt’s had a reunion inviting 40 graduated students to attend.

The YWCA has had the foresight to realize that women and families who suffer from domestic abuse may not be sufficiently stabilized in the shelter environment to make their way in the world. Their solution was to purchase an apartment building for transitional living. Our Mitten Tree effort provided Christmas dinner boxes for fifteen families living in the new apartments.

The children who live at the Rice Center have suffered neglect, abuse, and some suffer from mental illness. The Center is a stop on their way to recovery in a  structured and loving environment giving the children time for healing, growth and treatment and therefore  allowing  children to return to foster care, be adopted, or in some cases return home to their families. We have been serving the Rice Center for the past seven years. The 36 children living at the Center range in age from 8 to 14.

Other organizations we have donated to this year include El Rescate, providing services to LatinX youth, and the Vet Center on Howard Street. In addition to Mitten Tree, other donations included a generous family who gave almost $500 of housewares and toys to the YWCA, and an effort organized by Martha Holman to donate money for belts,wallets, and backpacks for the male Curt’s Café North students,

Here are the numbers:

Over 120 individuals and families donated gifts, food and gift certificates.

Overall, the church donated 15 Christmas dinner boxes, $2535 in gift cards (a total of 97 cards), $4215 for purchased 183 gifts.

Over 40 volunteers helped in many ways, managing the sign-up sheets, making paper mittens and labels, wrapping and sorting, and delivering food and gifts to 6 locations in the Chicago area. The Schatz Covenant Group deserves a big thank you for sorting and organizing the 15 food baskets and deliverying them. If you would like to volunteer next year and be a part of the organizing team, do deliveries, help organize the gifts, and help at the sign-up tables, please let Carol Nielsen (carolnielsen2100@gmail.com) know now. Carol keeps a list all year of those who enjoy the incredible task of organizing our generosity.