Monday, December 03, 2007

Gifts That Keep On Giving

Whether shopping for Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa or Festivus, you might want to consider a different way to spend your money this year.

Here are some other gift options; the kind that embody the true essence of giving. Consider using your money towards something that will help others, rather than buying Uncle Stan another ugly sweater that will probably end up in next year's garage sale.

Check out some of the sites below or contribute locally to a cause in your own hometown. It's like two gifts for the price of one; the one you give when you help someone in need and the one you'll get by knowing you made a difference.

Alternative Gifts: Several options on one site for different ways to give.

Bread For The World: One of the many ways we can help end world hunger.

Project Concern: Give a gift of health, hope or nutrition.

Heifer International: Baby cows for everyone! Provide a sustainable source of food and income for a lucky family.

Trees For Life: Enabling people to have a food source by providing a tree.

One Laptop Per Child: My personal favorite, since I consider my laptop a necessary appendage. Empower children in developing countries to learn.

Ten Thousand Villages: Practice fair trade by shopping here and improve the livelihood of disadvantaged people in developing nations.

Kiva: Make a loan. Change a life.

Changing The Present: Train midwives, clear land mines, feed the hungry. Your money, your choice.

Nothing But Nets: Pesky mosquitos! Help provide insecticide-treated bed netting for families in Africa and help save lives that would have been lost to Malaria.

The Arbor Day Foundation: Like to breathe? Plant a tree.

The Hunger Project: Empower men and women to end their own hunger. Although, one day with me and Eddie would teach them all they need to know!

Now don't you think these causes need your money more than the Walton family does? I do, and I will be donating to one or more of these causes in addition to a local need in my community.

This list is a good start but there are many other places to use your money. Do a search for "alternative gifts" and let me know if you find anything interesting!

Happy Shopping!

3 comments:

Sauntering Soul said...

Awesome post! I've been contemplating the Kiva one after reading about it on another blog recently. I can't wait to check out the rest of your suggestions.

And thank you so much for the suggestions you left on my blog. I'm really leaning towards getting the Neat Receipt one. :-)

Anonymous said...

Wonderful ideas! Festivus..can't help but think of George on Seinfeld. Festivus for the rest of us! Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Michelle | Bleeding Espresso said...

Great list! Brava :)