Changes Coming to Interfaith Outreach’s Holiday Gift Program

A Plymouth nonprofit organization is making a big change to its annual Holiday Gift Program.

Last year, Interfaith Outreach provided more than 2,200 people with holiday gifts. The gifts came courtesy of generous sponsors who wanted to help families in need.

But COVID-19 has prompted the Plymouth nonprofit to make an adjustment to the program as a way to prioritize health and safety.

Now instead of gifts, Interfaith Outreach is asking sponsors to purchase gift cards.

Instead of wrapped gifts, Interfaith Outreach is asking sponsors to donate gift cards to families for their annual Holiday Gift Program.

Much like a gift registry, families will select the stores from which they would like to receive gift cards, and the sponsors will help to fulfill those requests.

“It was a really tough decision. We made it because it’s really important for us to continue to safeguard our community,” said Ashley Wyatt, community engagement coordinator for Interfaith Outreach. “And the amount of volunteers that our program takes when we’re doing physical gifts, it was just hard to make sure that we were abiding by all of the requirements for social distancing, when you’re in the building doing all of this work. And so we made the tough decision to switch to gift cards. But it’ll provide the same support that we have throughout the entirety of the program’s history, and so none of that is changing.”

Anyone interested in being a sponsor can sign up through the Interfaith Outreach website through Nov. 1.

Gift card distribution will take place in early December.
 

Plymouth