I love this campaign. With all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it’s important not to forget those less fortunate than us. Local charities are always creating amazing programs and I love being able to donate to toy drives in particular. It’s important to look beyond your borders too – beyond your own community and even beyond your own country.
PlanCanada.ca has a phenomenal way that you can donate the perfect gift to someone on the other side of the planet! It’s really inexpensive too – but the result of your gift can litereally snowball into something quite amazing for a community in need.
For example, did you know that just $10.00 can buy a bed net or $15 can buy a fruit tree? $50.00 can buy a sheep (Ewe won’t feel anything close to sheep-ish when you give this gift!) and $75.00 can buy a goat. A goat!!!!
Whether you want to donate as an individual or as an office, classroom or other group – consider looking at the Gifts of Hope program through Plan Canada this holiday season!
Our office has done this through HPIC or World Vision rather than exchange gifts for years. It is a nice change from bath sets!
This is the perfect gift for those hard to buy for people. I have been doing this for years and even do this for my girls every year.
We like doing the shoeboxes that are sent to another country to children in need. You can fill the boxes with all sorts of fun little toys etc.
my aunt has done this many times 🙂
Very unique, thoughtful gift I’d say.
How about the gift of just being there whether you are needed or not…be THAT friend!!!!
Donate old toys
This is a great idea and one that doesn’t take much to make a difference. I’m not sure I would use it as a gift but it would be a nice thing to do as a family to give back this holiday season.
Sustainable gifts are an awesome idea. A Rose bush, my idea of a gift that keeps on giving. I have a friend that loves roses, so as a gift I gave her a rose bush so she can grow them all summer long.
I donate shoeboxes every year.
This is easy & Caring !
The gift of your time; to a new mother so she can have some time to herself, to residents in nursing homes that have no family to visit.
I always do a gift or two.. I like to buy for teens and seniors.. They seem to be the group that gets left out.. It always make my heart smile. One year we mad a care box filled with items for the soldiers.. my son thought that was the coolest thing and helped with picking out items… 🙂
Take an unwrapped toy to the local toy drive at your local mall. In our small town the local newspaper has a tree set up and you take your toy there and they donate them all to the local Salvation Army to be given out at Christmas.
I like to donate to the Food Banks this time of year. Everyone should have a good Christmas!
Give the gift of your time. To a family member who needs it, a friend, the homeless or anyone who just needs your help. It costs nothing to do it but the gift you’re giving is pricesless
This is a wonderful idea! we do something similar. Every year around Christmas we fill a shoe box with little toys and school supplies and than donate it through a company ( of course now I cant remember what they’re called. I wanna say Project Love but that’s not it. ) And they ship it too little boys and girls in Africa or other less fortunate countries, that need these items.
never heard of this before..neat idea
i donate my daughters clothes she has outgrown and toys
Collect clean gently used toys throughout the year and donate them to underprivileged children at Christmas.
I donate to the food bank every year this time , it really helps the people in need !
I give cookies and homemade candy and ofcourse we help with the church gift boxes
we donate to food banks sponsor a family at christmas donate money never thought of a goat
I’ve seen teh flyers for this. Thought about it for a few years now – maybe it’s time… 🙂
I like to give back thru the schools, and donations.
I like to give back thru the schools, and donations.
We always give the gift of a meal and our time to someone who is alone at Christmas. Its not a time for anyone to be alone so we always find someone to share with.
Giving to the poor and donations
I like this idea a lot! (and I like the talking goat on their commercials a LOT!)
have heard of this before/ great idea. I’ve participated in the Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes before
Great idea, inexpensive and more beneficial than another stinky candle or dye-filled bubble bath to sit in the back corner of a bathroom cupboard. Doesn’t take much to really go a long way for someone,
This is so awesome. We are really spoiled to live in such a great country, and often people take that for granted. I think most people can afford at least $10, to people who really need it. I think I will!!
Great idea. How about sponsoring a local family in need this Christmas?
I have decided this year instead of getting my best friends kids gifts this year, I am going to donate to a charity of choice from the family. We are both fortunate to have what we do and I think its more important to help others
I prefer to give my money to the animals. This seems nice though.
I bring used items to Cuba every 2 months. I married a Cuban and have been in a long distance marriage. every visit I bring used items to the village area there
Have my kids pick one thing they want, and we buy it for someone else!!
We are going to start this Christmas as a family 🙂
i like the goat idea that’s priceless lol i make blankets, scarves, and bake, and make baskets of food up for the seniors and for my kids alone they are picky so i make meals in a jar for them
helping the people on the streets have food to eat
great idea
We do this every year with the kids. The kids would pick an animal…usually we can only afford the chicken and the kids put their christmas money towards it.
We always make sure to purchase a few turkeys for our local shelters in town, plus we always provide gifts for at least 2 kids off an angel tree . Of course we also do the shoeboxes. AND then we never forget the animals by donating food and blankets for the SPCA and this year we supplies our local shelters with over 30 blankets and tons of bedding as well. We do what we can, whenever we can.
in our family we give away household supplies and jackets and parkas.
This is a wonderful idea. We donate a number of Christmas presents to the local charity on a yearly basis.
What a great idea. I am unable to give a deal of cash but we can all try to give a little or a lot of our time to help out.
This is a GREAT idea. Years ago we did something similar for a teacher. Parents got together and we donated in her name. Love gifts like this.
We used to contribute to sleeping children around the world, that campaign was really popular at one time.
My children and I, for the past two years and hopefully for many more to come, organize and run a donation drive in our town for Operation Christmas Child. It helps to teach them about giving back, the true meaning of Christmas, and responsibility. The town has been quite receptive, and just two weeks ago at our last event, we filled 51 shoeboxes for children across the world.
As a person has gone the past 2 winters without a winter coat, these things are deeply appreciated!
Very strange but undoubtedly helpful. That’s a very nice charity idea.
I think this is a great idea
We have been doing this for the last 5 years through World Vision Canada. It is so rewarding to give to others who really need the help, especially donating to help dig a well in Africa. We give toys to our local Fire Department for their Christmas Boxes.
If im in the situation giving back to the community with community events with the food bank or different stuff to donate for Christmas time when a family is in need
Such a wonderful idea .
I am donating my children’s old snowsuits to Coats for kids , as well as gently used clothing to the homeless to help keep them warm . wish I could do more
I always try giving back to the community with community like with the food bank, clothes, coats and kid toys
Amazing idea.
i always try to give back as much as i can
Charity is a great way to “give a gift.” This Christmas eve, a few friends and I are going to go down town to hand out hot cups of coffee to the homeless. A little “pick me up” and warm up for them this holiday season. Plus a treat they don’t normally have.
What a wonderful idea!!
$75 for a goat?! That’s cheap. I have donated a goat but paid more than $100 for it. I never hesitate when it comes to giving to charity…after all, you are changing someone else’s life and what can be more rewarding than that good feeling you get when you help others?
I received this a couple years ago through a different company and loved the idea. Thanks for the reminder — I will be thinking of people on my list who would appreciate this gift.
I love this idea and we have done it in the past years. I love to give gifts and this is a life changing gift that most times helps more than one person. Last year and this year I did the Donate a Shoebox and I hope it helps the children.
i try to give back, dont always have the means to
This is actually a program that the floor of my work participates in yearly – even a small donation from a person can help to change the life of another!
my friend and her 6 yr old did this. the child even got to pick the items 🙂
This is a favourite gift that I give!!! It’s my go to all times of the year. It’s also fun to recieve. My friend gave me a T-shirt for the I AM A Girl campaign that I love it included a donation to that program.
This looks like a great charity and I like that the gifts start as low as $10 meaning that more people will be able to help those less fortunate
Ha! I was just talking about this with a group of ladies today! We are all doing this for at least 2 people this year! I love it!!
Great idea. We donated a pig once for a fund raiser at our sons’ school. The kids did quite well with it.