WISH UPON A STAR MINISTRY

Glen Mar's Wish Upon a Star Ministry is an annual program that provides Christmas gifts and donations of gift certificates for clothing, shoes and food to needy families in our area. Sign ups and collections of new donated items take place in mid November through the beginning of December in the Gathering Place on Sundays between services.

This mission was started over 22 years ago. We, here at Glen Mar, are truly blessed with many resources. Our continued commitment to reach out and help those in need is a blessing for each of us.

2011 Wish Upon A Star:

To donate online to Wish Upon A Star, please visit Online Giving.

Approximately 30 families were assisted by the 2011 Wish Upon A Star program with clothing, food, shoes and toys. With "Wish Upon A Star" the families remain anonymous to Glen Mar, but have gone through the selection process of The Salvation Army, Monroe Street UMC, Fort Meade Military Families, Bridges to Housing Stability (formerly Churches Concerned for the Homeless), Eva Johnson Foundation, Laurel Pregnancy Center and Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center.

Giving Guidelines

• Food and shoe "Star envelopes" checks should be made payable to "Glen Mar UMC". It is very important to place "Wish Upon A Star" in the memo section of the check. The families will be provided with certificates to a local food and shoe store so that they can make their own selections.
• All items must be NEW.
• Please use the GIFT CARD PROGRAM for purchases. If you designate that you are using it for Wish Upon A Star purchases, you will receive tax credit on your statement. See Van Beall or Debbie Albrecht for details, or visit our extreme fundraising web page for more information.
• PLEASE DO NOT WRAP GIFTS; the recipients will do this.
• Please return all gifts with the "stars" taped or stapled to the outside of the bag for identification.
• Due to the time-sensitive nature of this outreach ministry, it is imperative that all "Stars" are returned to the Gathering Place no later than noon on the day of the deadline.

Our prayers and thanks are to everyone who takes a "Star" and for those who cannot participate, we ask that you pray for the "Wish Upon A Star" families and Glen Mar, as together with Christ, we continue to reach out and make a difference.

For more information about this ministry, please e-mail Debbie Albrecht at albrechtdebra@comcast.net.