Give a man a fish, you'll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, you'll feed him for a lifetime. So, how about if you give a man a cow? Sheep? Bees? Or other farm animals?
That, in fact, is the premise of Heifer International. This charitable organization provides livestock (and training) to small-scale farmers and communities worldwide.
The Liberal Avenger is organizing a drive to buy an "Ark":
So - between LA and some activities my family and friends are engaging in here locally, we are collecting money to donate en masse to Heifer International. The gift we’re shooting for is called the “Ark” which at $5000 buys cows, oxen, beehives, sheep, water buffalo, goats, camels, llamas, donkeys, ducks, guinea pigs, pork-pigs, rabbits, geese and chickens for poor rural people around the world - including Appalachian regions in the United States.
Links: Liberal Avenger's Heifer Fundraiser | Heifer Intl. Website - Thanks Adam!
We have a new BlogRaising program that might make your fundraising effort easier and smother. It lets bloggers like you help us get the word out about Heifer and raise the money we need to do our work all throgugh their blog. To learn more, just go to www.heifer.org/onlinecommunityfundraising
Again thanks for the good words.
This has caught on in a big way -- our kids have raised over $400 for various charities (including Heifer International and Doctors Without Borders) by doing this.
Of course, our kids still get some birthday presents within the family -- but we are helping them learn about giving, about being satisifed with enough, as well as passing on a great gift to others.
I encourage other parents concerned about excess consumerism to try this with their kids. It works! And the kids feel great about it!