MADISON – Messiah Lutheran Church’s fifth annual Handmade Market not only will offer handcrafted gifts to shoppers but also will help to feed hungry children.

Members at Messiah Lutheran Church are shown at last year’s Handmade Market. (CONTRIBUTED)

The market will be held in the church’s parish hall at 7740 U.S. 72 W. on Oct. 26 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Oct. 27 from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

This unique showcase will feature more than 1,000 handcrafted gifts that about 35 local artisans have created.

“They have donated their time, talent and craft materials to raise money to feed the children of the Benito Montoya School in Nacaome, Honduras,” Claire Strand said. Strand serves as director of outreach ministries at Messiah Lutheran.

For Christmas shopping, the market will offer tabletop wreaths, chip-carved ornaments and quilted tree skirts. ‘White goods’ will include anti-bacterial baby washcloths in bamboo yarn, crocheted can ‘cozies’ and knitted mug warmers.

Many baked and canned goods will be sold. Shoppers can browse hot pepper jelly, strawberry jalapeno jelly, habanero apricot jelly and ghost pepper apricot jelly.

Messiah Lutheran’s outreach in Honduras is coordinated by the Lunches for Learning program, which is based in Alabama. Lunches for Learning feeds “1,369 impoverished children in grades K-6. Fifty-seven of those students are at our school in Nacaome, with eight children expected to graduate from the sixth grade,” Strand said.

Last year, the Benito Montoya school suffered storm damage, with sections of the metal roof wing torn off.

“We’re working with the El Barrial community to have that repaired quickly,” Strand said. “The kitchen, made of adobe, where the lunches are repaired has suffered irreparable termite damage and must be demolished.”

A rebuild with concrete will cost between $8,000 to $10,000. “We’ll be praying and working to raise funds for that in the future,” Strand said.

For more information, visit mlutheran.com/outreach.html, lunchesforlearning.org or visit Facebook/Lunches for Learning.