Something Good To Give
How about this year you skip the mall, ditch the gift receipts and give ‘em something they’ve never heard of, something interesting, something good.
Below are two lists; the first is a collection of gifts to give from which the proceeds will go to something good.
The second is comprised of gifts to give on your givee’s behalf.
Falling whistles:
Give one of these, and be a “whistle blower for peace”. Falling whistles combine a campaign for peace in the Congo and the appeal of a rustic (or polished) vintage-looking whistle to be worn as a neckpiece or keychain. Have a quick look at the website, the intro video is both heartbreaking and inspiring. 100% of the proceeds from each whistle goes to rehabilitating child soldiers in the Congo, and they run about $34 (USD).
Hot Bread Kitchen Basket:
Yum! You may remember the article about Hot Bread Kitchen (HBK) last fall. Consider swapping your massive tin-o-popcorn purchase for a gift basket of artisan breads, the proceeds of which support Hot Bread Kitchen’s mission of creating a better future for foreign-born women (and spreading the love of foreign-born breads). Give something tasty and create better lives for low-income women and their families for anywhere from $10 to $65 (USD).
Clean Up Soap:
These soaps are shaped in the form of landmines to raise money for landmine removal and survivor assistance. For every soap purchased, $2 is donated to The Cambodia Landmine Museum. The facility holds a school, an orphanage with living facilities for up to 30 at-risk children, and serves as a launching pad for humanitarian and landmine relief outreach initiatives. For $9 each, the soaps are available in Rosemary Mint or delicious, calming Coconut scents and are made from all-natural ingredients.
One Mango Tree:
More for your lady friends at the moment One Mango Tree uses a fair trade model to provide income-generating opportunities for women in impoverished and conflict-ridden areas of the globe. These folks have a little bit of everything and prices start as low as $12 (USD) and just so you know, 100% of their profits are reinvested into the social business or other like-minded ventures - with a goal of making an ever-increasing social impact through their work.
TOMS Shoes:
“One for one”; for every pair purchased, a pair is given to a child in need. You give a fashionable pair of boots, flats or heels to a guy or gal (that’s right, these puppies are unisex), and your $44+ (USD) gets a little guy or gal some pup protection. Kids can’t go to school without shoes, they get sick without shoes, they’re at a disadvantage without shoes, so these folks, are something good to give.
Trashy Wallets:
If all else fails, give ‘em garbage … really cool garbage. These products made from recycled plastic are good; they encourage education about waste management and recycling, they create jobs for the collectors, sanitizers and stitchers and they help clean up non-biodegradable waste that is polluting Ghana (nearly 22,000 tons of plastic waste per year).
These are slightly harder to shop for in that there is no go-to shop for them, however if you search “trashy bags” in Google shopping you may be able to snag a sack, or a wallet, or even a hat!
These are more of a print out a little info and put it in a card or engage your giftee in some quality conversation, type gift.
Just about Anything from Changing The Present – this resource allows you to select a cause and go from there. If your concerns are with disaster relief, education, social justice, health or any number of other areas of need, this is a great place to get giving.
Here are some of my faves:
-Help Deaf Families $2
-Holiday Fixins $12
-Encourage Play $10
-Involve Communities 15
-Reduce HIV Risk $25
-Help Afghan Girls $35
-Comfort Children $35
Just about anything from OxFam – this is a great resource as they have set up their website in a way that allows you to pick by price.
Whether you give a loved one a pile of poo (that’s right, you can purchase manure for a far away farmer) or a school meal program for a child, you’re getting something good when you get it from OxFam.
Some of my favorites are:
-Manure $12
-Art Supplies for Kids $15
-Honey Bees $18
-A Can of Worms $18
-A Kite $18
- Crabs $18
- and A song $20
Happy Holidays everybody!