Rebecca Watts Hull
“Shopping our values” is an idea that really resonates with many of us at NDPC. Fair Trade certification is a system that supports transparency so consumers can, in fact, shop their values. NDPC’s current, annual Alternative Gift Market (AGM), held the first Saturday of December, originated with a consignment sale begun roughly 20 years ago in collaboration with the Ten Thousand Villages store that used to be located in the Virginia Highland neighborhood. The NDPC Global Mission Committee initiated this sale as a way to offer church members an opportunity to purchase Fair Trade certified gifts including household items, toys, Christmas decorations, and coffee while supporting many artisans and communities around the world. Ten Thousand Villages eventually ended these “pop-up” sales when they expanded beyond a level the small staff and team of volunteers could support. When that happened, NDPC decided to shift to its own, unique form of Alternative Gift Market that came to include a mix of items in addition to the Fair Trade offerings sold at Ten Thousand Villages. Additional vendors have included local nonprofit initiatives such as Re:loom, projects in Haiti and Central America, and support for various NDPC initiatives through sales of Woody’s cards and other hand-made gifts. Over time, as NDPC deepened its commitment to a number of Clarkston refugee community initiatives and many new entrepreneurial ventures took root there, the AGM has included a growing number of Clarkston businesses that support employment and self-determination for many Clarkston residents who arrived here as refugees.
Over the past couple of decades, the AGM has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars (more than $39,000 in 2019 alone) to communities and organizations in need through Christmas purchasing and charitable giving. Won’t you join us this year? For more information, please visit
CLICK HERE to visit The Alternative Gift Market WEBSITE page.
CLICK HERE to visit The Alternative Gift Market FACEBOOK page.