Holiday Gift Guide: 10 Great Gifts that Give Back
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Every Christmas I feel like my heart strings are pulled in several different directions. I want to buy presents for the people I love, but I also want to give to charities that help causes I care about. Unfortunately, my budget is painfully low, so you can see my dilemma. This year is going to be different, though. For this month’s Do-Good tip, I set out to find some great gifts that also give back to charities and non-profit organizations around the world. Below are a few of my favorite finds.
Bake Me A Wish Freedom Cake
For $75 (including shipping) you can purchase a mouth-watering Freedom Cake for a loved one here in the U.S. AND Bake Me A Wish will send the same cake to a soldier serving overseas. As an added bonus, 5% of your order will also be contributed to Operation: Birthday Cake, a partnership with Soldiers’ Angels, which donates birthday cakes each month to soldiers overseas. Also available is the Kids’ Freedom Cake where your child will have the opportunity to include a personal letter to the solider. If $75 is a little steep for your budget, Bake Me A Wish also offers the Singular Sensation Freedom Cake (a smaller version of the orignal) for $35.
Goods for Goodness Sake
If I said it once, I’ve said it a million times…I love beautiful stationary. Unfortunately, it can sometimes be a little costly. So, when I find a company that sells a great product for a reasonable price, I get especially excited. It’s an extra (rare) bonus when that company is socially responsible.
By donating 100% of their profits, Goods for Goodness Sake is just that. That’s not a typo either…they donate all of their profits to charities chosen by their customers. This truly is a way to shop responsibly.
Yum-o! kitchen products by Rachel Ray
When you shop at Cooking.com through this special link, a portion of the proceeds from your entire purchase will be donated to Yum-o!, a non-profit organization started by Rachael Ray that empowers kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking by teaching families to cook, feeding hungry kids and funding cooking education and scholarships.
iPod (Red)nano
Choose the (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition iPod nano and Apple will give a portion of the purchase price to the Global Fund to help eliminate AIDS in Africa.
Kiss My Face Lip Action
Lip Action is a line of natural lip balms created as an effort to raise at least $1,000,000 for the environment. With environmentally-inspired names like Berry Warm, Eco-Coco and Mango Melt, the line sells exclusively at Whole Foods for $3.49 with one dollar from the sale going directly to the Alliance for Climate Protection.
Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom
When best-selling author of Tuesdays with Morrie agreed to write the eulogy for his aging hometown rabbi, he embarked on an 8-year journey that brought him much closer to his former teacher. Meanwhile, back at his current home, he encountered a local Christian pastor with a drastically different background (former drug dealer and ex convict) who preaches to the poor and homeless from a decaying Detroit church. His story brings together two faiths, two men and two communities in an inspirational tale sure to be another best seller for Albom. Have a Little Faith retails for about $15 and in the spirit of tithing, one-tenth of the book’s profits will go to faith-based organizations that care for the homeless, with a portion being donated to A Hole in the Roof Foundation, a charity Albom founded this year to help repair places of worship that serve the homeless.
Things Remembered
One of my favorite holiday traditions is picking out a new ornament for the tree. This season, we’ll be adding the Make-A-Wish Star Ornament to the collection. This beautiful piece features faceted glass stones and crystals, an engravable heart charm, and is part of the six-piece collection Things Remembered is offering in partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This particular piece retails for $30, with $2 going straight to the Foundation. It is available online and at Things Remembered stores nationwide.
FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS from The Leakey Collection
Zulusport Friendship Bracelets are an environmentally-friendly way for girls to sport a new look with a best friend. Each set of bracelets comes tied together for friends to wish on as they break the tie. The eco-friendly bracelets are hand-strung by the Maasai women of Kenya from grass that was previously burned as a nuisance. In addition to providing the Maasai women a sustainable way of life, The Leakey Collection reinvests 5% of sales back into the community for education and healthcare initiatives. Zulusport Friendship Bracelets come in brown, navy and cranberry, and are available online and at stores nationwide for $14.95.
Cookies for Kids’ Cancer
Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is a non-profit organization that was created to raise awareness and funds for pediatric cancer research through the sale of cookies. All cookies are packaged in beautiful gift boxes, tied with bright green ribbon and include a note explaining the significance of your generosity. Flavors include Triple Chocolate Chunk, White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut, Chunky Peanut Butter, Chocolate Almond Coconut Crunch, Chunky Chocolate Chip, Chewy Oatmeal Raisin and Liam’s Lemon Sugar Cookie. The cost for a dozen cookies is $30, and because more than 70% of this price goes directly toward funding pediatric cancer research, your purchase could be tax deductible.
Hand-made Jewelry
T.A.P.P., Paper to Pearls, Beads for Life and The Leakey Collection are some of the many organizations that provide beautiful jewelry, artwork and other hand-made goods from workers throughout impoverished African communities. The profits from these goods go toward providing a sustainable income for workers and revitalizing the community by investing in education, health care and transportation infrastructures.
Leave a Reply