Most of us look forward to the holidays – anticipating warmth and cheer in the company of family and friends, with good food and the fun of giving and receiving. At The Gathering Place (TGP), we seek to provide that atmosphere and experience for our guests. As December brings us the shortest days of the year, it is always bright inside TGP, with so many friends and guests filling our hall with conversation and activities.
The mission of TGP has always been to provide a place of welcome, and it is in this spirit that in 2012 that Catherine Atkins and Cathy Lynch wanted to do something special during the holiday season to thank our guests for bringing such joy to our lives.
“The holidays have a special place for me as my mother was one of the founders of Globe Santa,” said Catherine Atkins. “It is no wonder I have so much enthusiasm. It started small, with a few Santa’s helpers collecting items made available on a Christmas gift table free to take for those who wished. Every year since the tradition has grown.”
Since opening our new building in 2016, we have pulled out all the stops. With the help of so many volunteers and guests, we have created a wonderful tradition that includes a day of celebration with food and camaraderie. We will celebrate the season this year by holding a festive holiday party with outdoor tree decorating, caroling, hot chocolate, and donuts. As part of our holiday celebration, we give each of our guests a warm-weather gift and a gift card to Hannaford to help them throughout the winter. This year we plan to distribute gifts to 50 men, 50 women and 20 children.
As part of our holiday festivities, we organize a fantastic Christmas Shoppe where guests can browse a great selection of generous gifts, like books and pajamas generously donated by the Pajama Program. It is an excellent way for many of our guests to have a little extra for the holidays. A guest at last year’s holiday party came into our store looking for a gift for her niece. As she picked out a new pair of pajamas, her eyes teared up as she told us, “I didn’t think I could get this special niece of mine a gift this year, let alone one with the tags still on it.” Her comments and candor were a gift to us at The Gathering Place.
We could use your help to acquire the gift items for our Christmas shoppe on Dec. 17. Knowing that our guests may be outside or living out of their cars, we need new gloves labeled with keywords like thermal, insulated, weather or waterproof, socks that are sturdy and warm, jewelry, scarves, toiletries, purses, toys, pajamas, and bags. Please drop off items before Dec.13 at our facility at 5 Tenney Way in Brunswick, behind Hannafords, where we share a campus with the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program and the Community Clothing Bank. Our hours are 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday.
The smiles and gratitude shared by our guests have sustained this tradition, and it has grown each year. Our guests reflected this with their happiness and enjoyment of shopping for new gifts for themselves and their families last year. “This is wonderful. What a surprise,” “Where did all these nice things come from?” “We can take what we need?” are just a few of the comments I shared.
For so many of our guests struggling, the holidays can be a season of stress and heartache. The true spirit of the holidays is about giving to and supporting others. Our hope and faith in our community help create the holiday spirit during these challenging days. When you spread cheer to someone else, it feels great. You inspire more giving, and that joy is contagious. And maybe that feeling of giving turns into a giving spirit that lives well past the holidays. That is the spirit of The Gathering Place, and on behalf of our volunteers, board, staf, and guests, I wish everyone a happy, healthy 2023.
Giving Voice is a weekly collaboration among four local nonprofit service agencies to share information and stories about their work in the community.
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