If you are goin to buy gifts, get some things from here

Thought I should point out a website if anyone is interested in buying gifts that also help others...www.thehungersite.com...they also have a rainforest store, and animal store, breast cancer, literacy. I dont know how it all works but when you look at things it will say "for each number of this item sold 25.00 cups of food is given..." or whatever site you are looking at. Its kinda pricy so be warned, but I think it's higher cost for decent reasons. Also I dont think there is something for everyone at the site. Also free shipping till dec. 6 11:59 p.m. So hurry!

Thanks Brian,

Sites like this are nice. I always feel in the "giving" mood this time of year. I try to do it all year round but sometimes I wind up broke!

Thanks for posting the link, I'm sure some of us will visit and get some things from there.

-Thin Thin Shopping Him

CollegeB, I admire the spirit of the suggestion, but it isn't the most vegan-friendly shopping. Money goes to MercyCorp, which promotes animal agriculture in developing countries. This includes encouraging people to purchase "gifts" like bees, camels, cows, goats, pigs and other animals to send to other countries. I wrote an article on a similar charity if you are interested, "Heifer International: More Hype than Hope."

If people want to support non-profit organizations, then I recommend giving directly to a non-profit organization you really believe in.

Here is an alternative idea, you can support a not-for-profit while shop by keeping track of your saving when you buy things on sale or use coupons. Also, save your change in a jar. Then when you have done all your holiday shopping, or at the end of the year if you do it year-round, take the money you saved and turn it into a donation.

It's a lot more resourceful this way. You'll have more control over your giving, and you are able to spend less and give more. And for people like Rob, it is something you can do year-round .

10% of my income is donated year round. There are many, many worthy causes to choose from. All of the suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Money goes to MercyCorp, which promotes animal agriculture in developing countries. This includes encouraging people to purchase "gifts" like bees, camels, cows, goats, pigs and other animals to send to other countries. I wrote an article on a similar charity if you are interested, "Heifer International: More Hype than Hope."

That is a good article, Daniel. Thanks for sharing. The "Gift of Ark" makes me want to puke. I also didn't realize they supported that dietary experiment on the Kenyan children. On another board, we had an extensive discussion on the problems & issues with that experiment when the findings first came out.

I was appalled the first time I got one of their catalogs & realized their "gifts" were live animals for slaughter & exploitation. The saddest was the rabbits. If I recall correctly, their blip for rabbits was they were an ideal gift because they reproduce quickly & so the people can eat them & increase their stock of rabbits at the same time. Retch!!! I have had bunnies & love them so much. It hit me like a punch in the stomach.

Heifer sends me a catalog every holiday season in spite of the fact that every year I have asked them to take me off their list. So far this year I have not received one. Perhaps they finally got the message.

So Daniel the huger site or rainforest site or literacy site and Heifer international are all affiliated with Mercy Corp?

So Daniel the huger site or rainforest site or literacy site and Heifer international are all affiliated with Mercy Corp?

No, just the hunger site gives to Mercy Corps. I didn't check all the site, just the hunger site and the animal site. The animal site claims to give to one organization that no longer exists. So that is something worth considering.

Heifer International runs its own animal-agriculture programs similar to what Mercy Corps is doing. I included the link to the article on Heifer because it explains in some detail what these programs are like.

The rainforest and literacy sites may give to good organizations, but I thought I would suggest another way for people to give. I looked at the hunger site because it was the one you gave the url for.

If you read the article on Heifer it includes the names of some vegetarian hunger relief groups.

If you read the article on Heifer it includes the names of some vegetarian hunger relief groups.

Now those are the kind of human rights groups that will be getting my donations. It is not a human rights project to promote meat eating -- the exploitation of farms animals does nothing truly beneficial for human kind or the planet. And groups that are honest, sincere and wise enough to "get" that are the ones that will be getting my donations.

So, thanks Brian for beginning this thread with the right spirit, and thanks Daniel for your informative and enlightening contribution. You are, after all, a full -time animal rights advocate so your contributions and information to help us make better and more informed choice are greatly appreciated. I feel like a much more aware and educated consumer after having read this thread. The sites that college B mentioned indeed had me fooled, although I didnt really spend much time "investigating" them. I would have not known that the animal site is claimiing to give to an animal group that is now defunct! It makes you wonder what they are REALLY doing with that money.

I agree that the best places to support are ones that you can be 100% sure of, especially local grass roots groups.

Do groups that aid animals feed them regular pet food?

I think how the hunger site works is you pick out items and you can choose what cause gets the benefit of your purchase. Like the rainforest one saves so many acres of rainforest, literacy program gives so many books etc. I think i'll take a chance with the rainforest site, its that or walmart... so hopefully the money goes where intended. I really dont like heifer international. On my birthday my parents "got" goats or ducks or something for me. And I said well they kill and eat these animals, but the parents disagreed based on what they had been told. The church they go to is really big on pimpting the Heifer program. Anyone know of some vegetarian ones? I may be able to make people aware of it, throw some $$ their way etc.