by Lindsey Klyn, Marketing Manager for MH4H 

On November 12, 2013, Many Hands Market made its second local donation of $1,000 since opening in Spencer on August 2, 2013. This month, the market decided to share the holiday cheer, as they split the donation between two local ministries. Adopt a Family received $500 and the other $500 was given to the S.O.S. Santa program. The market is especially thrilled to provide high quality, low-priced goods, while creating a high-impact funding source for local and global missions through Many Hands for Haiti this holiday season.

Above: Top photo left to right-  Program coordinators Greg Rasch and Theresa Rasch and Many Hands Market volunteers Ruth Hansen and Teri VanWettering; Bottom photo from left to right – Daily Reporter Publisher Paula Buenger and Many Hands Market volunteer Lorelei Meeter

“As we enter into this holiday season, there is joy at Many Hands Market for many reasons,” stated Store Co-Manager Christi Gabhart. “The team at the market has worked hard, giving time and talent to make the market successful; the quantity and quality of the donations given to the market has been successful beyond words; and now, the joy of giving away the profits from sales at Many Hands Market is real.”

Both of the selected ministries for this month continue to share the joy kindled at the market. Spencer’s Adopt a Family is an annual holiday tradition that many locals look forward to each year. The program allows for generous families, businesses, and other groups to spread holiday cheer to a family in need each Christmas. Families are “put up for adoption” with their holiday wish list.

Community members can then choose to “adopt” that family and purchase the gifts for them. The program discovered that they could alleviate a lot of family stress by providing presents, making many local families experience a merrier Christmas. The $500 donation from the market will be used to purchase items from a wish list of a family who does not get adopted this Christmas.

“We are so thrilled to have this support from the local MH4H group,” said Paula Buenger, publisher of the Daily Reporter, which coordinates the Holiday Family Adoption Program. “Many Hands Market has already become a wonderful resource for good in our community, and this is another example of that.”

The second donation recipient, the S.O.S. Santa program, serves families who have a special needs child that are facing financial hardships at Christmas time. The families served by the program do not meet income guidelines required by other local Christmas assistance programs. Greg and Theresa Rasch have helped coordinate the S.O.S. Santa Program since 2007. Theresa Rasch shared, “The families with a child that has special health care needs face unique challenges. For many families, even to get out to do some shopping can be a difficult thing.” Each family’s situation is different, and the S.O.S. Santa program loves to serve such special cases.

Many Hands Market plans to make a donation every month to a local ministry. They enacted on this plan for the first time last month with a $1000 donation to Feed Our Children which provided backpacks full of meals for 174 children in the Spencer community. The market is currently in the process of assembling an advisory team that will meet together to pray and discuss future financial donation opportunities. People can help continue making stories like this happen by donating items, shopping, or volunteering at Many Hands Market.

Click here to read about the market’s first donation to Feed Our Children.