Ah, ’tis the season, right? Shopping and wrapping, decorating and baking… we get pretty busy with the trappings of the season. Have you thought about giving a gift of lasting change?
Amid all of our parties and celebrations, it’s really good to take a moment and think about how we can impact the world at this time of year. I shared recently about some of the ways we can get personally involved to give back this holiday season, and today I want to focus on some actual gifts that we can give that will keep on giving!
Recently, I became acquainted with an awesome organization whose mission it is to alleviate poverty and equip and empower women to create change and escape poverty. That organization is CARE.org! Care.org is sponsoring this post – and I really do love their mission and what they do to help alleviate poverty around the world!
This is a quote from their About CARE page:
It Began With a CARE Package®
CARE Package®. You’ve heard the term. Maybe you sent one to your daughter or son in college. Maybe you received one from your own parents at camp. You might not remember what was in it, but you probably remember the love and connection you felt when you sent or received it.
What you may not know is that CARE coined the term “CARE Package” in 1945 when we started sending packages filled with food and other essentials to survivors of World War II. Since then, our mission has grown from delivering food in boxes to delivering lasting change to the people who need it most.
Today’s CARE Package equips women and their families with the tools they need to create sustainable change and escape poverty for good. Instead of delivering powdered milk in boxes, we teach women to raise their own cows. Instead of sending notebooks and pencils, we train teachers, build schools and show parents how educating all of their children is the best investment they can make for their family’s health, prosperity and happiness.
Today’s CARE Package can’t be contained in a cardboard box and it has no expiration date. It delivers sustainable change to the world’s poorest people, and its contents never run out.
I love it when blogging leads me to learn something new! Did you know that the ‘care’ package originated with what is now CARE.org? Me either!!
THEN
The early CARE Packages® included foods such as beef and gravy for survivors of World War II in Europe. The very first shipment of CARE Packages arrived at Le Havre, France, on May 11, 1946.
NOW
Today’s CARE Package equips women and their families with the tools they need to create sustainable change and escape poverty for good. Instead of delivering powdered milk in boxes, we teach women to raise their own cows. Instead of sending notebooks and pencils, we train teachers, build schools and show parents how educating all of their children is the best investment they can make for their family’s health, prosperity and happiness.
Here are a few gifts of lasting change that are very reasonable, amazing really:
Goat
Goat – $45
What’s a four-letter word that means nutrition, health, income and investment? Goat. A goat gives families nourishing milk to drink. It’s also a vital source of income since extra milk can be sold at local markets. And because they’re always in demand, goats are like stocks or bonds, easily traded for vital goods and other animals.
Healthcare for 2 Children
Health Care for 2 children – $45
An estimated 7 million children die before their 5th birthday. CARE provides professional healthcare, including checkups, vaccines and treatment for common illnesses to help small children to not just survive, but thrive.
3 Packs of Drought Resistant Seeds
Drought-Resistant Seeds – 27.00
A CARE Package of drought-resistant seeds is like making it rain for a poor family that depends on subsistence agriculture. With rainy seasons becoming more unpredictable and crops failing as a result, families need hearty seeds that will withstand long dry spells to produce nutritious food.
As you ‘wrap’ up your gift shopping this season, I challenge you to look beyond your own family and community to gifts of lasting change. Look out into the world, and help CARE.org.
Merry Christmas!
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