In-kind gifts

Come to the Waters and send ripples into the lives of others through service and in-kind gifts. Your ripple could travel 20 miles, 250 miles, or to another continent.

A new twist to servant opportunities allows gathering participants to collectively create and assemble in-kind gifts as well as gain knowledge, receive information, and make connections.

Items to collect for in-king gifts include national retail gift cards and pre-paid phone cards; materials for school and health kits; for making quilts, heart pillows, and fleece for blankets; and yarn for knitting hats and preemie caps. Encourage others to help you collect these items.

Gift cards

Gift cards may be purchased in any amount, beginning with a minimum of $10, from the following national retailers:

Pre-paid phone cards
Pre-paid phone cards may be purchased in any amount at national retail stores and grocery stores.

School kits
Include the following in a gallon-size, self-locking plastic bag: a package of pens, a box of #2 pencils, and a box of eight color crayons. In addition, packets of 8 ½ x 11-inch, wide-rule, hole-punched loose-leaf notebook paper will be collected. Bring the paper separate from the gallon-size bag. Note: Please do not add any other gift items.

Health kits

Select from the following items and fill a gallon-size, self-locking plastic bag: toothbrush, shampoo and conditioner, one bath-size bar of soap (any brand in its original wrapper), lotion, hairbrush, wide-toothed comb, deodorant (no aerosol cans), and dental floss. Do not include toothpaste — it will be distributed separately by Lutheran World Relief.

Heart pillows
1 yard of red cotton broadcloth. Broadcloth is usually 44" or 45" wide.

Relief quilts
The finished quilts will be distributed by Lutheran World Relief as part of the gathering's global gift. Keep in mind that the ultimate purpose of a quilt is to provide warmth as you select new, washable fabric (including samples or remnants). Choose one of the options below and place in a one-gallon self-locking plastic bag:

Option 1:
Twelve 21-inch squares of fabric with a spool of Coats & Clark Dual Duty thread to match fabric
A piece of fabric for backing (2 ½ yards of 60" wide fabric or 5 yards of 35"-45" wide fabric)

Option 2:
2 pieces of fabric (2 ½ yards of 60" wide fabric or 5 yards of 35"-45" wide fabric) with a spool of Coats & Clark Dual duty thread to match fabric

Knit hats and preemie caps
Preemie cap: 4-ply soft yard, such as Caron Simply Soft
Toddler-adult: 3 oz. of brightly colored, worsted-weight, 4-ply yarn

Fleece blankets
2 yards of fleece. Fleece is usually sold in 45" width.

A reminder: Do not mail gifts to the churchwide office. Bring them with you to the gathering or send them along with a friend. Drop them off at the designated location in the exhibit hall.

Gift recipients
The following agencies and organizations will share in your kindness in the Salt Lake City community:

Back Pack Buddies
Begun in 2004 as "BackPack Buddies" in partnership with Mount Tabor Lutheran Church, the RMS Church for Board and Society, and the Lutheran Social Services of Utah early childhood program, Back Pack Buddies serves the Salt Lake area's lowest income populations, approximately 99 percent of which are refugees and first-generation students with languages other than English.

Crossroads Urban Center
Crossroads Urban Center is a non-profit, grassroots organization that assists and organizes low-income, disabled, and minority Utahans to meet basic survival needs and to address essential issues affecting quality of life. Established in 1966, Crossroads is a multi-faith community center with broad support from many religious communities as well as businesses, individuals, and foundations. Learn more at www.crossroads-u-c.org.

Family Promise (formerly Salt Lake Interfaith Hospitality Network)
This interfaith alliance helps homeless families achieve lasting self-sufficiency. Around the country, Family Promise affiliates like Family Promise — Salt Lake (FPSL) respond to this crisis by providing temporary shelter and meals for parents and their children in area congregations and by operating a day center where parents receive case management as they gain access to the resources needed to regain housing stability and achieve an improved quality of life. FPSL serves up to 50 families annually with the help of hundreds of volunteers and the involvement of over 30 congregations. Learn more at www.fpsl.org.

Navajo Santa
Ya'at'eeh Keshmish, a non-profit organization known as Navajo Santa, was created to bring food, blankets, warm clothing, toys, and other necessities to Navajos in need on the reservation in southeastern Utah. Entirely volunteer supported, Navajo Santa provides an exchange of culture and support between Navajos and non-Navajos. Learn more at www.navajosanta.org.

Primary Children's Hospital
Primary Children's Medical Center serves the needs of children (newborn up to 20 years old) in the states of Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, and Montana. In 2007, Primary Children's provided nearly $8 million in care for which families were not charged. Currently, the hospital offers more than 40 pediatric specialty clinics, and more than 60 medical specialties and subspecialties.

The Road Home
The Road Home provides support and shelter for overcoming homelessness with a wide variety of programs, from immediate provision of food, clothing, and shelter to development of a plan for housing. The Road Home operates out of The Salt Lake Community Shelter, the largest homeless shelter in Utah.

Utah Food Bank Services
Utah Food Bank Services serves as the food collection and distribution hub for Utah's emergency food network and strives to meet the immediate, basic needs of low-income individuals and families statewide. Learn more at www.csc-ut.org.

YWCA Salt Lake City
The YWCA is Utah's oldest, largest, and most comprehensive provider of shelter, transitional housing, and supportive services for women and children who have experienced family violence. Learn more at www.ywca.com.