Balancing Motherhood’s Gift Guide 2010: Samaritan’s Purse

My choice for item number 5 this year is to give a gift of life and hope to people in the name of someone you love. Samaritan’s Purse offers tons of gifts that go to people in need — people who really need. Instead of sending a fruitcake to someone who will most likely give it away or toss it, give them a gift that helps others.

In the past I’ve purchased a goat for a family in a struggling country. The goat is not for the family to eat. It is a money-maker for them. “Around the world, more people drink milk from goats than from cows. One goat can produce enough nourishing milk for a family, and a small herd can supply a steady source of income.”

Other options listed in the catalog include things like:

• Feed a hungry baby for a week — “Mothers in southeastern Ethiopia carry their hungry babies for miles across dry, dusty plains to reach the Samaritan’s Purse feeding center. Though many of the children arrive near death, most are healthy enough to return home after a few weeks of nourishing food.”
• Teach a child to read and write — “Around the globe, Samaritan’s Purse helps thousands of children like this through a variety of education and literacy projects.”
• Build a school — “Around the world, Samaritan’s Purse has built or renovated schools that furnish thousands of children with hope for a better life.”
• Honey bees — “Little honeybees can be a big blessing for struggling rural families, who can sell honey and beeswax to pay for education, healthcare, or other basic needs.”
• Mosquito nets — “While they sleep tonight, thousands of children will be bitten by mosquitoes that spread one of the world’s most rampant and deadly diseases. Malaria kills over a million people each year, most of them children under age 5. For $10, we can provide a bed net treated with natural insecticide to kill mosquitoes and keep children safe and healthy.”

And, gifts range in price to fit all price ranges. Sometimes, I group several people into one purchase so I can buy a larger item and help more people. Other times, I bought several of the smaller items to represent individuals. Some gifts are outright purchases while others are shared costs: $10 buys one mosquito net, while building a school costs $25,000 so you can “share a gift” with others by making a $250 donation.

You may remember that last month I wrote about Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child. My local drop off location alone collected more than 4,000 boxes! That’s 4,000 children in the world who will get a box full of toys, games, books and candy. Joy.

Related:

• Samaritan’s Purse Christmas Catalog
• It’s not too late to pack an Operation Christmas Child box through Samaritan’s Purse’s online build a box system.
• Samaritan’s Purse website