General Question

xxii's avatar

What's a good "gift that gives others" type gift?

Asked by xxii (3329points) December 10th, 2010

My dad always says he doesn’t want anything for Christmas/his birthday/Father’s Day, and to some extent it’s true. He lives very minimally and has everything that he needs.

This Christmas, I think it would be very meaningful to him if I were to give him one of those “gifts that gives others.” I’m talking about sites where you can buy a cow for a family in Haiti, or sponsor a shelter dog, etc.

To help narrow it down:
a) He’s a strong Christian, so even though I am not one, it would be extra special to him if it had some Christian connection.
b) I’d like to spend less than $30, even if it’s on something very small
c) I’d like the gift to be something concrete, ie. rather than “I made a donation to this charity in your honour,” I would prefer it to be “I bought this family in Haiti a chicken in your honour.”

Any ideas would be appreciated! Thanks.

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6 Answers

marinelife's avatar

Heifer is the kind of site you mean.

klutzaroo's avatar

You can donate to Heifer International and give animals to people who need them. Very reputable. The honeybees run right at 30 bucks. And flocks of birds are 20. Shares of projects are a good deal too. You get a certificate that you can gift on Christmas.

YARNLADY's avatar

After the above answers, mine is very lame – a Calendar with religious or inspirational sayings on each day.

Kardamom's avatar

There are lots of places where you can donate to make a difference:

Farm Sanctuary which helps to protect abused, neglected and abandoned farm animals.

Your local humane society or the ASPCA (The American Association for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)

The Salvation Army

The Goodwill

Or find a local organization in your dad’s town that helps to feed the homeless, or gives Christmas presents to kids on Christmas, or helps abused women, or that helps under-priveleged children, or that benefits a local animal shelter.

Good for you for trying to do something nice for your dad, and useful for society : )

john65pennington's avatar

A donation, in your friends name, to Ronald McDonald House.

Children and parents will benefit from it and you he/she can claim it as a deduction on taxes.

The gift that keeps on giving.

BarnacleBill's avatar

Habitat for Humanity, the Red Cross, the library.

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