The Gift of Warmth

A special series on the 5 Giving Tuesdays—a campaign launched by the Case Foundation to celebrate the gift of giving this holiday season. Each week we will feature stories and resources showcasing the different ways you can give back to make a greater impact in your community.

Today we’re kicking off the fourth week of our 5 Giving Tuesdays campaign with a special focus on giving the gift of warmth—donating warm clothing items to help others in need. Why is this important? Health experts report that even a two-degree drop in body temperature can result in a reduced heart rate, loss of coordination, and confusion. With those conditions, adults often cannot work effectively and children find it difficult to learn. For most, a warm coat solves the problem. Yet for the now nearly 15 percent of Americans living in poverty, a warm winter coat is a budget “extra.”

Here are three ways you can get involved today!
Commit to Give: Join in on our celebration of giving by entering The 5 Giving Tuesdays sweepstakes and help us to award $100,000 in grants and prizes ($90,000 to nonprofits | $10,000 to individuals)! We invite you to commit to “Give the Gift of Warmth” and donate warm clothing items such as coats, gloves, or scarves, or pick one of the four other featured acts of giving.

New prizes are up for grabs each week! This week 10 lucky winners will each receive a $100 shopping credit to Twice As Warm, a clothing retailer specializing in warm weather gear and accessories. The purchase of each product results in a donation of the same item to an individual in need. Enter today!

One Warm Coat: One Warm Coat is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to collect coats and distribute them to people in need, free of charge. The organization helps individuals, groups, companies, and organizations across the country collect coats and deliver them to local agencies that distribute them in their local communities. One Warm Coat’s goal is to ensure that anyone who needs a coat can get one. Providing this simple yet vital need helps people live productive lives year round. Nearly 4 million coats have been collected and distributed through One Warm Coat activities since 1992.

Twice As Warm: Twice As Warm is a movement to help neighbors in need stay warm. Each purchase of Twice As Warm apparel is matched with a donation of their same apparel to children and families in need. The organization’s mission is to provide warmth, hope, and support to people in need, and create a sustainable way of providing new winter clothing.

Share your story of giving with us on Twitter (@CaseFoundation).

Gift of Presents that Give Back

A special series on the 5 Giving Tuesdays—a campaign launched by the Case Foundation to celebrate the gift of giving this holiday season. Each week we will feature stories and resources showcasing the different ways you can give back to make a greater impact in your community.

Today we’re kicking off the third week of our 5 Giving Tuesdays campaign with a special focus on the gift of presents that give back. How do you know if the item you are giving gives back? Perhaps part of the proceeds help to support an issue, the item aims to raise awareness about a cause, or your purchase of an item allows someone else to benefit from the purchase in some way—those are what count as presents that give back. Presents often bring joy to not only the recipient, but also the giver, so why not take the opportunity to extend your reach and impact by giving a present that gives back?

Here are four ways you can get involved today!

Commit to Give: Join in on our celebration of giving by entering The 5 Giving Tuesdays sweepstakes and help us to award $100,000 in grants and prizes ($90,000 to nonprofits | $10,000 to individuals)! We invite you to commit to “Give the Gift of Presents” that Give Back and choose to give a gift that helps others or pick one of the four other featured acts of giving.

New prizes are up for grabs each week! This week 10 lucky winners will each receive a $100 gift card or shopping credit of their choice to Eco Vessel, TOMS, or Tory Burch. Winners get to choose so enter today!

Eco Vessel – Specializing in water bottles and food storage containers, all of Eco Vessel’s products are BPA and phthalate free, recyclable, and environmentally friendly. Eco Vessel is passionate about giving back. Part of their mission is to support organizations that work to provide clean drinking water around the world. Eco Vessel donates one percent of the purchase price of every product to Water for People (a grantee of the Case Foundation), whose mission is to provide long-lasting solutions to the water, sanitation, and hygiene problems in the developing world.

TOMSTOMS believes business can be used to improve lives. But it takes more than belief to make that a reality. So, TOMS recently launched the TOMS Marketplace, a platform to help other social entrepreneurs succeed. The Marketplace is about emerging companies, their products, their causes, and it’s a new destination for making a difference. Some products available through the TOMS Marketplace provide improved economic opportunity to individuals who otherwise might not find employment. Other products use a portion of their proceeds to support education, fight hunger, or fund reforestation. What they all have in common is a belief that everyday purchases can create positive change.

Tory Burch Foundation – Inspired by her own experience as a business owner and working mother, designer Tory Burch launched the nonprofit Tory Burch Foundation (TBF) in 2009. The Foundation supports the economic empowerment of women entrepreneurs and their families in the U.S. through small business loans, mentoring programs and entrepreneurial education. You can support the Foundation through purchases on the Tory Burch, Shop for a Cause site featuring an assortment of accessories. All profits from the purchase of items benefit TBF. You can also donate directly to the Tory Burch Foundation.

Share your story of giving with us in the comments section below or on Twitter (@CaseFoundation).