Gifts Of Charity

This article was submitted by a reader.  Thank you so much for sharing these ideas for gift giving.  What I’d like to ask, is if you have a favorite charity that you know our friends here at HBHW would like to know about, please mention it in the comments below. 
Thank you,
Susanne

In the spirit of giving, one option for your gifts this holiday season are gifts that give back.
Many of these are inexpensive but still do a great amount in helping those in need.
Here are some ideas:

Oxfam Unwrapped

These are various gifts donated to those in need, and you receive a card to give to your friend/family member/etc. that explains the donation. Gifts include things like organic seeds for subsistence farmers, goats for villagers or mosquito nets for South American children and much more. There are quite a few under $30.  These are available in USA, Australia, Canada, Ireland, etc. etc.

You can also make a donation in your gift receiver’s name. Remember, it doesn’t have to be a large donation – every bit helps.

Some ideas are:
Women’s shelters
Senior centres.
Youth centres.
Children’s charities.
Homeless shelters.
Cancer and other disease/illness organizations.

You don’t always have to donate money – you can donate craft supplies to youth centres or toys for the children at a Women’s centre etc.  Many of the larger organizations have cards that you can purchase for a donation of choice, to give to your gift receiver, but if they don’t you can just write a message in a card saying “A donation to X has been in your name.” etc.

There are also many fair trade stores and products as well as stores that donate a percentage of profits to charity. One is Lush, a homemade cosmetic store.

There are many out there, for foods, clothes, jewellery or cosmetics – many gifts available are under $20. Check around your area.

Remember that giving back, no matter how small, is a really great thing to do. People really appreciate the thoughtfulness of a donation on their behalf.