Food Gifts that Help Families Around the World

Look past the fruitcake and cookies to give something more unique and meaningful this year. Charitable items from World Vision’s Gift Catalog go a long way to promote good health and nutrition in the developing world and can be given in the name of a loved-one.

The catalog has more than 250 items ranging from $16 to $39,000 that help children and families in need. Included in the catalog this year are several items that foodies on everyone’s gift list might enjoy such as:

• Two chickens that provide a daily supply of eggs (with plenty of protein and 13 essential vitamins and minerals) - $25
• Feed a family in the US for a day with a Family Food Kit which includes nutritious meals like oatmeal, lentil soup or pasta, and a bean and rice casserole - $16
• Ten fruit trees such as apple trees, orange trees, and mango trees provide the vitamins and nutrients growing kids need - $60
• A dairy cow that can give as much as 5,000 gallons of milk over its lifetime - $500

For a cash donation of $50, the gift giver will receive a Fair-Trade Coffee Set which includes coffee from Ethiopia, Sumatra, and Costa Rica blended by OneCup.org delivered in a bag of African fabric hand-sewn by local women. It is accompanied by a hand-carved olivewood scoop made to benefit over 200 orphans of the Kamba tribe. The cash donation goes to a fund that helps meet urgent needs of children and families.

The best part about these gifts is that they are self-sustainable. Animals given to communities in Africa are purchased in Africa. The gifts grow and multiply to share with neighbors and ultimately make a better life for the whole village. This allows transformational community development within the most poverty-stricken villages.

Since the Gift Catalog was introduced in 1996, its popularity as a gift-giving medium has grown with more than $32 million in purchases made last year. World Vision hopes to reach $34 million this year. After purchasing a Gift Catalog item, the person whose name the gift was given in receives a special card describing the gift and its impact.