Crafts Blossoming for Good in Riverside on December 1
Riverside’s Alternative Gift Fair showcases handmade treasures that support local and global causes, blending creativity with compassion this holiday season.
The Alternative Gift Fair offers a variety of handcrafted gifts, with proceeds benefiting numerous non-profit organizations. It is coming up from 11 am to 3 pm Sunday, December 1 at the First United Methodist Church of Riverside, 4845 Brockton Avenue. In the making and selling of these fabric arts, handmade foods, books, baskets, paper flowers and holiday cards, a chain of good ripples around the world.
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 the local rape crisis center, called NORA.
Hong Anh Ly leads a group of young women ages 12 to 17 who make beautiful paper 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. She calls the booth "The Paper Flower Initiative" and at first, it was a project for her daughter Xuan-Anh and her friends, and they joined the gift fair at the invitation of the Quakers Inland Valley Friends Meeting. But since 2017 it has built quite a following, with a logo, an Instagram, and a mission to help the local area.
"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," said Hong Anh Ly. "Guest artists and expert crafters from the community occasionally join in." They use donated and upcycled materials to make the flowers, so 100 percent of the proceeds can help others.
Arline Ream of Riverside is one of the makers of paper flowers. (The Paper Flower Initiative)
Hong-Anh 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 7th year of PFI and its traditions of sourcing recycling materials, girls crafting together and raising funds for good causes. Charities who have or will receive donations from PFI include Path of Life Family Shelter, Foster Army Animal Rescue, International Rescue Committee. This year the girls have selected Refugee Health Alliance, and Family Promise Riverside for the proceeds.
In 1981 when the fair started at First Christian Church, it was called the Alternative Christmas Fair. But as it moved to the United Methodist Church in 2010, the fair expanded the vision to be more inclusive of all who celebrate any faith and any kind of gift giving. Kris Lovekin, the fair's current organizer, emphasizes the fair’s inclusive nature and role as an alternative to traditional mall shopping. Musical entertainment will be provided by Bob Palmer, featuring a range of instruments, including the mountain dulcimer. A little later, Carl Bernhardt arrives to play the dulcimer.
One new vendor this year is Crafty Treasures by N & N, a sister duo raising money for NORA, the local rape crisis center. Together Natalie Gomez and Nancy Ferguson make vintage-inspired wreaths and garlands and holiday decor.
Another new vendor is Malia Designs, featuring colorful upcycled wallets and bags made in Cambodia by artists who are supporting themselves and contributing to the fight against sex traffic.
This event offers Riversiders a chance to purchase unique, handmade items and contribute to charitable causes, making each purchase a “gift to the world,” as Lovekin describes. The city is invited to experience this distinctive shopping opportunity while supporting a wide range of philanthropic efforts.
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