Every year for the past nine years, an interfaith coalition of congregations in Falmouth has sponsored an unusual kind of fair called the Alternative Gift Market (AGM). The gift market provides the entire Upper Cape community with the opportunity to buy a non-traditional gift in honor of a loved one, a friend or someone else they wish to recognize. The gift  a contribution to a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization that helps people on the Cape, in Massachusetts or around the world  enables shoppers to give to others in a different and meaningful way.

Come learn about the work of 10 local and 10 global organizations that address needs in our community and communities in other parts of the world. In most cases, you will learn from people who are actually involved in the work, either here or abroad. Local gifts offered at this year's market include housing for the homeless, counseling for people in need of support, food for the shelves of Upper Cape food pantries, and medical treatment for rescued sea animals. Global gifts include support for outstanding educational programs in Guatemala, Kenya, and Afghanistan as well as life-sustaining food for malnourished infants and children, a business loan for a woman entrepreneur, and protection of tropical rainforests in Indonesia.

Fair trade products such as coffee, chocolate, jewelry, scarves and other handcrafted items can also be purchased at the market. Purchase of any of these fair trade items helps farmers and artisans in developing countries earn enough income to sustain their families and educate their children.

Choose any one of these meaningful gifts to help alleviate poverty, renew our planets environment, or promote education, sustainable development and peace. For many individuals and families, shopping at the AGM has become a traditional part of their annual giving, whether the gifts they purchase are in honor of specific people or are considered "gifts to their neighbors at home and around the world. Some people have chosen the Thanksgiving Holiday dinner as the perfect time to give AGM gifts to family members. Other shoppers plan ahead for Christmas, Hanukkah, or birthdays.