Gifts that Give Back

In this day of eco-friendly living, there are some great products that are environmentally friendly and/or give a portion of their proceeds to a charitable organization.  Some have been featured in other sections of the gift guide, and here are a few more.

Rather than filling up your home with so many toys, offer your child the opportunity to give something back this Christmas season. Give a gift from World Vision’s Holiday Gift Catalog at www.worldvisiongifts.org.

Through the World Vision Gift Catalog, parents can make a donation to dozens of different projects around the world to help other children and families in need.  Some suggested gifts “for children, to children” include: Clothing for children living in poverty in the United States ($25 provides $325 worth of clothing), soccer balls for children to replace makeshift balls made of trash ($16 for two soccer balls), safe water for school children ($50 delivers enough water treatment tablets to provide safe water for up to 250 children for one year), improved seeds for a nourishing harvest ($17), or a bicycle to help a young girl travel safely to work and school ($85).

Another way to give back is through Universal Giving Gift Packages.  A gift package of $100 will help with medical clinic operating costs in Nepal.  $50 will help towards sending one million books to children in Africa.  $25 can heal a child suffering from malnutrition.  $10 can supply a mosquito bed net and save a life.  Check out all of the available packages at UniversalGiving.org.

BMW and the Susan G. Komen Foundation have partnered to create “The Pink Ribbon Collection,” a line of fashionable and functional products.  BMW will donate 80 percent of gross profits from the sale of these items to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, helping to fund breast cancer research, education, screening, treatment projects and outreach programs.  All products are available at BMW-online.com or at local BMW dealers.

Lindsay Olives offers shoppers its beautiful handmade wreath of olive, bay and eucalyptus branches that can hang as a fragrant front door welcome to family and friends or festively decorate the dining table. This year proceeds from the wreath sales go to The Meals On Wheels Association of America, the oldest and largest national organization in the United States representing those programs that provide meals to people in need.

This season Toys for Tots has teamed up with VistaPrint to offer six custom holiday cards where 50% of the proceeds goes directly to the charity.  The cards can be found at www.vistaprint.com/toysfortots.