The Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York
CHRISTMAS ON MERRICK
Monday, December 21, 2020 | 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
ABOUT
Christmas on Merrick
Christmas on Merrick is an annual outreach effort hosted by The Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York. In its 7th year, Christmas on Merrick provides us with an amazing opportunity to display compassion towards our neighbors during a time of charitable giving, remembrance and sacrifice. With the generous donations from our sponsors and congregation, we have been able to distribute toys, clothes, food and personal care items to more than 1,500 families annually.
Past sponsors for Christmas on Merrick include: City Harvest, Feed the Children, Toys R’ Us, Toys For Tots, Emblem Health and New York Mets. Media sponsors include Queens Tribune, and 1190/WLIB.
This humanitarian effort brings hope to families that are poverty-stricken, cannot afford to feed their families or provide basic necessities to their families during this holiday season.
COVID-19 and what it means for Christmas on Merrick?
Christmas on Merrick will look a little different this year due to COVID-19. The Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York adheres to COVID regulations; therefore, we are limiting in person contact.
To minimize in-person contact, we request that all donations be shipped directly to the church. To ensure that families receive gifts on time, gifts should be received at the church no later than Wednesday, December 16.
The Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York
110-31 Merrick Blvd. (Floyd H Flake Blvd)
Jamaica, New York 11433
Tickets will not be distributed at the church this year. To receive gifts, families MUST complete the ONLINE REGISTRATION FORM. Upon registration, Drive-thru and walk-up gift distribution options will be available for you to choose from
The registration ages are, 5-12. You will be able to register a maximum of TWO CHILDREN PER HOUSEHOLD. We apologize to those who have more than two children in your household. Unfortunately, we will not be able to accommodate more than two children per household.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, such as social distancing, and space, we are not receiving requests for volunteers this year. Thank you to all who have reached out to offer volunteer services. We are grateful for your support in years past, as well as those who’ve expressed an interest in volunteering this year.
In observance of COVID regulations, no one will be allowed on church property until 9:00 am, when check-in begins. You will not be able to line up before 9:00 am. We will not do any day of screening or registration (mindful of COVID and safety).
There will be a walk-up food pantry for Christmas on Merrick. No registration required.
ABOUT GACNY
The Reverend Dr. Floyd H. Flake is the senior pastor of The Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York. The congregation currently has over 23,000 members, making it one of the nation’s foremost Christian churches in the United States. The church is listed among the top twenty churches in America in Outreach Magazine’s Annual Survey. The church also owns expansive commercial and residential developments; a private pre-school founded by Flake and his wife, the Rev. Dr. Elaine M. Flake, and various commercial and social enterprises which has placed it among the nation’s most productive religious and urban development institutions. The church is one of the Borough of Queens largest private sector employers. The Greater Allen Cathedral’s operations have been a national paradigm of church-centered, faith based, public/private community educational and economic development. Further, Allen’s administrative structure, efficiency, and development efforts have increasingly attracted international and national recognition in print and electronic media. The church as has been profiled on CNN, CBS, BET, C-Span, PBS, and in Time, Black Enterprise, Ebony, The New York Times, Readers Digest, Los Angeles Times, and many other publications. The church has one of the largest outreach ministries in New York City through its Soup Kitchen and Feeding Program, which distributes over 105,000 meals and pantry bags weekly. The Soup Kitchen distributes more than 10,000 meals alone during Thanksgiving.
Under the Reverend Floyd Flake’s leadership, and true to its Christian doctrine of self-help and communal responsibility, Allen Church has provided resources and guidance for innumerable faith-based and secular institutions.
Our annual Christmas on Merrick outreach event has garnered national media attention on news outlets including, CBS, NBC, and NY1. The event was broadcast LIVE on 1190/WLIB and covered by The Press of Southeast Queens.