These brightly color washcloths are a sample of goods at Messiah Lutheran Church’s Handmade Market on Oct. 18-19. (CONTRIBUTED)

MADISON – Messiah Lutheran Church members and friends are finalizing the inventory for their annual Handmade Market, which will help children in Nacaome, Honduras.

The market will be held in the parish hall, 7740 U.S. 72 W. next to Redstone Federal Credit Union, on Oct. 18 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Oct. 19 from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Thrivent Financial is sponsoring the market.

“This unique showcase of more than 1,000 handcrafted gifts is created by local artisans who donate time, talent and craft materials to raise money,” Claire Strand said. Strand serves as Messiah Lutheran’s director of outreach ministries.

“One-hundred percent of proceeds will feed children of the Benito Montoya School in Nacaome, Honduras with the Lunches for Learning ministry,” Strand said. (lunchesforlearning.org)

For 2013, Lunches for Learning is feeding 1,369 impoverished children in grades K-6. “Of those students, 57 are at Benito Montoya, with eight expected to graduate from sixth grade,” Strand said.

This past year, a storm ripped off sections of Benito Montoya’s metal roof. Messiah is working with the El Barrial community for repairs as soon as possible.

The school’s kitchen, made of adobe, suffered irreparable termite damage and must be demolished. “Lunches for Learning meals were prepared there,” Strand said. “A rebuild with concrete will cost between $8,000 to $10,000.”

About 35 artisans will donate crafts to the market. Most crafts people are Messiah members, but “several are community artisans who are like-minded when it comes to using their artistic gifts to help the underprivileged,” she said.

Strand recommends the market for early Christmas shopping for one-of-a-kind gifts. Seasonal items like tabletop wreaths, chip-carved Christmas ornaments and quilted tree skirts will be sold.

The white goods include anti-bacterial, bamboo-yarn baby washcloths, crocheted can ‘cozys’ and knitted mug warmers. Baked goods and canned goods available this year include jellies in flavors like hot pepper, strawberry jalapeno, habanero apricot and ghost pepper apricot.

For more information about the market, call Elaine Shriver at 256-721-0041 or visit mlutheran.com/outreach.html.