Looking for a gift that benefits the poor and disadvantaged or religious communities as much as the person who receives your gift?  Make a donation to an organization that helps the poor ... consider a "fair-trade" gift which helps indigenous workers earn a fair living, protects the environment and preserves natural resources ... or choose a gift created by Catholic sisters, brothers, nuns and monks to support their religious communities.
 

Organizations Working for Social Change

Here's a list of organizations through which you can make a life-sustaining gift to those in need:

• Unbound/Christian Foundation for Children & Aging Livelihood Program  Fund
https://www.unbound.org/Sponsor

• Amos Trust
https://www.amostrust.org/shop/

• Catholic Relief Services
https://gifts.crs.org/gifts-holidays

• CrossCatholic Outreach
http://www.crosscatholic.org/christmas

• The Heifer Project
https://secure1.heifer.org/gift-catalog

• International Rescue Committee
https://gifts.rescue.org/

• Mennonite Central Commitee
https://mcc.org/christmas#!

• Oxfam America
https://www.oxfamamericaunwrapped.com/

• Save the Children Federation
http://gift.savethechildren.org/site/c.dvKSIbOSIlJcH/b.6885579/k.BFD5/Home.htm?msource=igxgpgfts513&gclid=CProyO2t0boCFcnm7AoddSMAXA

• Worldvision
http://donate.worldvision.org/OA_HTML/xxwv2ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?funnel=gc&item=1597888&go=item§ion=11080&

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Fair-Trade Gifts

Here's a list of organizations which sell socially-responsible, fair trade items which benefit local producers around the world:

LOCAL VENDORS

• World's Window. 214 Main St, Cedar Falls, IA 50613
http://www.worldswindowcf.org/

ONLINE VENDORS

• Catholic Relief Services
http://www.serrv.org/crs_handcraft?c=crs

• Equal Exhange
http://shop.equalexchange.coop/gifts-more/gifts.html

• Fair Indigo
https://fairindigo.com/

• Food for the Poor
http://www.foodforthepoor.org/catalog/index.html

• Free to Shop
http://www.freetoshop.org/

• Gifts with Humanity
http://www.giftswithhumanity.com/

• Global Giving
http://www.globalgiving.org/

• Grounds for Change
http://www.groundsforchange.com/

• The Hunger Site
https://www.thehungersite.com/store/site.do?siteId=220

• Maggies Organics
https://maggiesorganics.com/

• Mayaworks
http://www.mayaworks.org/

• The Nature Conservatory
http://my.nature.org/gifts/2011/

• Novica
http://unique-gifts.novica.com/

• Serrv International
http://www.serrv.org/

• Ten Thousand Villages
http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/

• World Wide Child
http://helpingchildrenworldwide.org/shop/

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Gifts from Monasteries and Religious Communities