The 2012 Alternative Gift Fair will be held on Saturday, December 1 from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM at two adjacent locations on Dewitt Park: the First Presbyterian Church and the First Baptist Church. For two weeks following the Fair (from December 2 until December 16), donations will be accepted through the IAGF website for shoppers who are not able to visit the Fair in person on December 1.

The mission of the Ithaca Alternative Gift Fair is to provide our community with a meaningful alternative to holiday gift giving, one that celebrates personal charity, community health and well being, and the preservation of the planet.

The Alternative Gift Fair is a great way to unite the community around the common goal of a more meaningful, less commercialized holiday. It helps bypass the annual stress of holiday shopping and accumulation of “stuff” while honoring friends and relatives with donations to causes that fit their values. Gifts start at $5, and each gift comes with a greeting card and an insert about the organization you are supporting.

Over $300,000 has been donated through the Ithaca Alternative Gift Fair since 2004, all of which went directly to participating local non-profit organizations. This year 58 organizations will participate in the IAGF, including Friendship Donations Network. Visit FDN at Table 38 in the First Baptist Church!

A complete list of participating organizations is available online at: http://www.ithacaaltgiftfair.org/

The event is sponsored by the Center for Transformative Action, with generous support from: Acorn Designs, Alternatives Federal Credit Union, First Baptist Church, First Presbyterian Church, Tompkins Community Action, and Tompkins County Public Library.

Ithaca Alternative Gift Fair is online at: www.ithacaaltgiftfair.org and on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/IthacaAltGiftFair.

Click here to download and print Poster: Ithaca Alternative Gift Fair 2012 Poster