‘Tis the season for donations

This holiday season, churches and groups in the Mountain Brook area are mixing it up to celebrate the season with both new and traditional ways of giving back to the community. The churches all have different focuses, spanning from traditional local efforts to statewide nonprofits to international partnerships benefitting children and families in need.

If anyone in the Mountain Brook or Birmingham communities is looking for a local outlet to contribute holiday gifts, needed household items or monetary donations, check the list of churches below to see what which churches are accepting this year.

Brookwood Baptist Church

This year Brookwood Baptist Church is packing up Christmas presents and needed items to send to the military and staff of an Afghanistan hospital for Christmas. It sent items on Nov. 15, and anyone in the community is encouraged to mail or drop off a monetary donation during business hours. The church is also participating in Backpack Buddies, a program that helps provide food for children that need it on the weekends. Call the church at 967-0441 with any questions.

Crestline Cumberland Presbyterian

This year Crestline Cumberland Presbyterian is participating in a backpack program called Loaves and Fishes through Feeding America. The program focuses on making sure children have enough food to be fed on the weekends. Donations can be made by dropping a check off to the church. Call the church at 879-6001 with any questions. 

Mountain Brook Baptist Church

The church will have an angel tree and is also donating shoe boxes to Perry County. The boxes will be filled with gifts, but it will be easiest if people can just make a monetary donation. Donations can be mailed or delivered during business hours. Call the church at 871-0331. 

Mountain Brook Presbyterian 

Mountain Brook Presbyterian participates in Operation Christmas Child, where church members pack shoeboxes with gifts for children for Christmas, as well as a church-wide Angel Tree. Operation Christmas Child is an international relief program run by the Samaritan’s Purse organization. Monetary contributions and gift donations are accepted during business hours. Call the church at 967-5037 with any questions.

Mountain Brook Community Church

The church is participating in Operation Christmas Child and collecting items for shoeboxes through Nov. 21. Interested donors with any questions can call the church at 802-7070. 

Shades Valley Presbyterian

Every year special donations are taken up for buying bicycles for the Greater Birmingham Ministries. Contributions will be taken until Nov. 20, when the bikes will be purchased, assembled and delivered. The community is encouraged to mail donations or drop them off as a check with the memo reading “Bikes.” Call the number 871-7309, extension 3 with any questions. 

St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church

Each year, the church participates in The Sharing Tree, which is essentially an angel tree program where people are encouraged to take an ornament, which will have a child’s age or gift suggestion, and then buy the gift and return it wrapped to under the tree by Dec. 17. The Sharing Tree can be found in the church foyer. Any questions can be directed to the church office at 871-1153.