A holiday arts and crafts event will provide an opportunity to find Christmas gifts and support local families in need.

Executive Director of The Crossing Outreach Ministry Danny Gach says the ministry started about five years ago and they have a campus of building where they care for the homeless in the area.

Gach said they’re helping put on a Christkindl Market this Saturday and next Saturday. This is the first year for the Market, which will be held in the Guenther Building at 8th and Charles Streets.   

“The owners of the building decided to make use of a building they owned for quite awhile,” Gach said. “Their family’s owned the building since, like, 1918, and used to be a number of different things in there, it was the Montgomery Ward Farm Store for a number of years.”

Gach said the market will include a variety of antiques, hand crafted items and more.

“At The Crossing we make rag rugs and purses on 100-year-old rag rug looms… that helps people that come through our building and they get paid a percentage of the profits of the rugs, so that helps us a lot,” Gach said.

There will also be music, Christmas caroling and food vendors at the event.

Gach said funds raised at the ChristKindl Market will support outreach programs for St. Joseph families in need.

“We’re developing an upscale food pantry, it’s actually going to be a nutrition center and it’ll be right here on the campus,” Gach said. “The pantry will actually include dairy products, fresh fruits and vegetables and we’re working with Second Harvest and they’ll help us supply the nutrition center. The Missouri Extension will have people on site there that will help people with food budgeting… and also nutrition value of different foods and how to prepare meals.”  

The Christkindl Market will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday the 9th and Saturday the 16th at the Guenther Building at 224 South 8th St. in St. Joseph.

For more information about The Crossing Outreach Ministry, click here.