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SupportNoMa

May 31, 2024 • 8 min read

Santa's Workshop 2022 Wrap-up

The NoMa Community Center offers ongoing weekly services and programming, special events, and collaborations with individuals, groups, and other organizations. We provide these programs and services at no cost to participants, and even give stipends when possible.

Much of what we do gets done through the generous donations of time and talent from our committed volunteer base, with many of our volunteers being from the population that the organization serves. This work is also not just a once-per-year occasion, but week in and week out, which not only speaks to our culture, but to a sense of pride and ownership among our clientele.

Throughout this post, you will continue to see phrases such as "Making Connections", "Engagement", "Inclusion", and "Building Social Capital". This is at the heart of what we do and why we do it. We believe that it is almost impossible to hold onto false assumptions about another person or group while working alongside them.

Weekly Programs & Services

NoMa's Closet - Free clothing and personal hygiene products - Every Monday 11:30am to 1:30pm (excluding Federal holidays)

Lunch and Art - Free, most often from scratch, community meal and arts activities - Every Saturday 12:30pm to 1:30pm (excluding Federal holidays)

Binghamton Food Rescue - Free produce, baked goods, and other food distribution - Every Saturday 1:30pm to 2:30pm following lunch

Teacher Tuesdays - Fun and educational after-school activities and snacks for elementary school students, hosted by Horace Mann Elementary School - Every Tuesday 3:00pm to 4:30pm during the school year. Location varies depending on weather and other factors, most often at Walnut Street Park or The Bundy Museum of History and Art.

Short-term & Recurring Programs

Resume and Interview Workshops - Targeted mainly towards youth for Summer and Holiday employment.

Wearable Art Workshops - Local artists teach residents how to artistically repurpose and upcycle clothing and other items. At the same time, the artists provide their stories and their ideas on turning crafts and artistic hobbies into businesses.

Check out the news segment:

Aspiring Artists Series - Multi-medium arts workshops targeted towards youth between 8 and 12 years of age.

Annual Programs & Events

School's Out For Summer - An end-of-the-school-year celebration and tabling opportunity for children to have fun and for families to learn about summer programs in our community.

Back to School Haircuts - A chance for students to get their hair ready for returning to school and pick up some free school supplies.

News coverage of an earlier Back To School Haircuts event:

Santa's Workshop - Where children can "shop" from a large assortment of donated gifts for the adults in their lives. Parents and caregivers are treated to brunch while their little ones pick out gifts and have them wrapped by volunteer elves.

This is one of our most popular events, with 2023's Santa's Workshop seeing attendance of 270 people, not including volunteers, up from 120 attendees in 2022.

Leading up to Santa's Workshop 2022: