Alycia Rock | Argonaut
The Prichard Art Gallery hosted the fifth annual Alternative Giving Market on Wednesday. The market raised money and donations for a different way to give. Thirty non-profit organizations on the Palouse participated in the event.
The fifth annual Alternative Giving Market of the Palouse, hosted at the Prichard Art Gallery, took place Wednesday during the Light up the Night
holiday parade.
The AGMP is an alternative to holiday gift giving that supports a variety 30 local nonprofit organizations, including Alternative to Violence on the Palouse, Sojourners’ Alliance, Moscow Friends of the Library and the Humane Society of the Palouse.
Dianne Daley-Laursen, co-founder and volunteer at the AGMP, said it is a great way to bridge partnerships between the university and the community.
“The Alternative Giving Market is about giving a meaningful gift from the heart,” Daley-Laursen said. “You can share a piece of the Palouse with anyone in the world.”
At the Giving Market, a shopper can visit each of the participating charities tables to learn more about them before deciding to buy a gift. There are gifts priced from $5-$100, and are tax-deductible. In total, 150 gifts are available.
The purchased gifts translate to a donation to that organization. For instance, shoppers can buy a $5 card which helps purchase food staples such as milk, eggs and bread for the Alliance House. More than 50 percent of the donations are at the $5 level.
“We basically raise our donations $5 at a time,” Daley-Laursen said.
One organization present at the AGMP was Willow Center for Grieving Children, which participated for the first time this year. Judy Rooney, executive director of the Willow Center, said every little bit helps.
“We’re pleased to be included in this wonderful event,” Rooney said. “It’s just awesome to be able to give a gift of support in honor of someone. If someone did that for me, I would be so thankful.”
The Willow Center is a free child support program that utilizes peer support to help children learn about grief and express
their emotions.
The AGMP is not the only way to give, Daley-Laursen said. Winter Fest on Dec. 5, the Winter Farmers Market on Dec. 7 and 14, and at AGMpalouse.org are other places to give back to the community.
“I’m so proud of our community,” Daley-Laursen said. “It’s a community of doers. The university and the community come together and they find niches to help others.”
Before the AGMP opened at 4 p.m. Wednesday, they had already raised more than $1,100.
The 2012 market raised more than $18,000 for the 28 organizations who participated. The AGMP of 2011 saw approximately a 24 percent increase over the
2010 market.
Alycia Rock can be reached at