Gifts that give for the good little girls and boys on your list

Brannon Cullum

Guest blogger Brannon Cullum is a graduate intern at the Case Foundation.

Have you been brainstorming about what to get the Cindy Hoos and Ralphies in your life this holiday season? It’s never too early to teach children important lessons about giving back to both your local and global community. I’ve come across many creative ways to spread the holiday cheer to the little ones in your life while also doing good.

For the Stylish Kid

TOMS shoes recently launched a youth line. Just like their adult line, TOMS donates a pair to a child in need for each pair purchased.
Tea’s hip Little Citizens clothing line donates 50% of each purchase to The Global Fund for Children.
For every Booda brand t-shirt you buy for a child, the company donates a book to Room to Read.

Toys and Books and Bears, Oh My!

FEED has a new take on the traditional teddy bear. When you buy Plumpy the FEED 5 bear, you are also providing nutritious Plumpy’nut food to 5 malnourished children in East Africa.
There are many different ways you can help St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital this season. Saks Fifth Avenue is selling Harper Collins' "Twinkle Twinkle Little Flake," and with each purchase, Saks will donate $2 to the 2009 Thanks and Giving Campaign of St. Jude’s. Purchases of “Loukoumi’s Gift,” narrated by Jennifer Aniston, as well as a portion of the purchase of a pack of GiftCoins at any Target store, will go to the hospital as well. St. Jude’s also offers a variety of gifts online for toddlers, kids and teens through its Hope Gift Book, and 100% of profits go to the hospital. They have a great selection of stocking stuffers for under $10, too!
My personal favorite is the World Wildlife Fund Gift Adoption. You can give a $50 symbolic animal adoption card to a child (or child at heart), who can then go online and choose from 80 species to “adopt.” The child will then receive a gift bag from WWF with many goodies, including a soft plush version of their adopted animal.

Helping Other Little Ones Near and Far

Why not reach out to less fortunate children this holiday season? There are many ways you can help a child in your local community or a child across the world.

Help your child write a letter to Santa and then deliver it to Santa’s letterbox at any Macy’s store. For every letter delivered, Macy’s will donate $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation (up to a $1 million limit) through its “Believe” campaign.
Save yourself a trip to the mall and adopt a Salvation Army Angel online this year. You can select an Angel in your zip code and purchase gifts through JC Penney.
While the Toys for Tots toy donation campaign ended December 6, you can still donate online to this worthy cause. And if you become a fan of Toys ‘R’ Us or Babies ‘R’ Us on Facebook, Toys ‘R’ Us donates $1 to Toys for Tots!
Give the gift of education this season: UNICEF offers “Inspired Gifts” such as local language books and supplies for school children in developing countries. For only $20, you can help two girls in Afghanistan go to school by providing them with uniforms and supplies. Save the Children, World Vision, and Mercy Corps also offer gifts that help support children’s education around the world.