New American Christmas 2021
2021 Team of volunteers.
Packing Party and Distribution
Unfortunately, due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns about holding large gatherings, MBMM decided to forgo holding an in-person New American Christmas Party this year. The goal was to ensure the safety of communities we serve, volunteers and staff by observing the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Guidelines.
On December 11, volunteers and staff gathered at First United Baptist Church, 99 Church St, Lowell, MA to take part in Massachusetts Baptist Multicultural Ministries (MBMM) annual packing party for its New American Christmas. Despite concerns more than 20 volunteers participated this year preparing holiday packages for refugee families living in the Greater Lowell area. The event took place from 5:00 to 7:00 PM.
Like years past, we prepared gift bags for each family that registered from the communities that we serve. Volunteers prepared a hand-picked bag of items personalized for each member of a refugee’s family, man, woman, and child. Each bag contained a set of towels, hygienic items, winter apparel (hat, mittens, or scarf) along with other items, including but not limited to, blankets, toys, games, new clothing, footwear and more.
In the end, this year’s New American Christmas, despite its hurdles, proved to be a successful one due to everyone’s generosity. We received many in-kind monetary and goods donations from individuals and congregations alike. Together we packed more than 150 bags to be delivered to the families from the Afghani, Haitian, African, Burmese, Bhutanese, Arabic, and Latinx communities. Thank you to everyone who donated and participated in this event.
