The Alternative Gift Fair, offering handcrafted gifts with proceeds benefiting nonprofit organizations, will be held 11 a.m. 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 1, at the First United Methodist Church of Riverside.
Participants include 10,000 Villages, United Women in Faith, Heifer International, Inlandia Institute, Riverside Food Co-op, Human Migration Institute, Love Riverside, Pencils and Dreams and the Assistance League of Riverside, among many others.
Each booth supports a cause, from aiding the unhoused population and animal shelters to the Assistance League, Save Our China Town and NORA (Nurture, Outreach, Resiliency and Advocacy), the Riverside rape crisis center.
Hong-Anh Ly leads a group of young women ages 12 to 17 who make flowers from paper and buttons to sell at the fair. Proceeds this year will go to Family Promise of Riverside and the Refugee Health Alliance. Ly calls the project the Paper Flower Initiative and at first, it was a project for her daughter Xuan-Anh and her friends.
They joined the gift fair at the invitation of the Quakers Inland Valley Friends Meeting, but since 2017, the paper flowers have developed a following, with a logo, an Instagram (@paper_flower_initiative) and a mission to help the local area, according to a news release.
“Our Sunday afternoon crafting circles makes space for fellowship among young girls and gives them an opportunity to participate in community service in creative and meaningful ways,” Ly said in the news release. “Guest artists and expert crafters from the community occasionally join in.”
The group uses donated and upcycled materials to make the flowers, so 100% of the proceeds can help others.
Ly has continued to lead the Paper Flower Initiative co-op activities, even after her daughter graduated from high school in 2023 and went away to college. This fall marks the seventh year of the Paper Flower Initiative.
Charities that have received donations from the Paper Flower Initiative include Path of Life Family Shelter, Foster Army Animal Rescue and International Rescue Committee.
Riverside’s Alternative Gift Fair began in 1981 as the Alternative Christmas Fair at First Christian Church. After the fair moved to First United Methodist Church in 2010, it expanded to be more inclusive of those who celebrate any faith and any kind of gift giving, according to the news release. Kris Lovekin is the fair’s current organizer.
Musical entertainers at this year’s fair are Bob Palmer, playing a variety of instruments, and Carl Bernhardt, playing the dulcimer.
One new vendor this year is Crafty Treasures by N&N, a sister duo raising money for the Riverside rape crisis center. Natalie Gomez and Nancy Ferguson make vintage-inspired wreaths, garlands and holiday decor.
Another new vendor is Malia Designs, offering upcycled wallets and bags made in Cambodia by artists who are supporting themselves and contributing to the fight against sex trafficking.
First United Methodist Church of Riverside is at 4845 Brockton Ave. For information about the Alternative Gift Fair, go to facebook.com/alternativegiftfair/.
