It’s December, and you know what that means! It’s time to crank up Mariah Carey’s Christmas album, don your tackiest Christmas sweater, heat up a cup of hot cocoa and decide what to get your family and friends for Christmas. If you’re anything like me, balancing finals season with Christmas gift shopping is presenting quite a challenge. Who has time to browse the stores in the mall when there are papers to write and review sessions to attend? Trust me, ladies, I understand, and that’s why I’m here to help! I’ve scoured the web for you to find my absolute favorite charitable gift ideas, because what’s a better way to celebrate this Christmas season than by giving back to a cause that your gift recipient is passionate about?
- Charity: Water
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Charity: Water is an organization that invests in sustainable, community-owned water projects in countries around the world. Their funded projects have helped over 10 million people get clean water to date, and with your help they will be able to help more! Not only can you make a donation in the name of your loved one, but you can also buy them a gift from the Charity: Water e-store or shop from one of their super-cute partner collections with well-known brands such as Madewell, J. Crew and Corkcicle.
- Ban.do’s Good Intentions Necklaces
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Ban.do’s products are always top-notch. I would buy one of these Good Intention Necklaces any day, but knowing that a portion of their proceeds goes to a great cause makes me want to gift them to all my friends this holiday season. Imagine brightening your quad-mates’ or best friend’s day by giving them a necklace that hypes up a quality you love about them while supporting the development of girls around the country. For this collection, Ban.do teamed up with Girls Inc., an organization dedicated to supporting, mentoring and guiding pre-teen and teenage girls in a pro-girl environment. BRB, ordering, like, ten!
- The Little Market
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When I stumbled across The Little Market, I was blown away. A wide range of amazing and totally giftable ethically sourced products that support pretty much any cause you can think of? Count me in. My favorite thing to do is explore the “Shop by Cause” page. I pick a cause I’m interested in, and The Little Market shows me all the different products and organizations that support it. I could definitely just stop my list here, because I guarantee there is something for all your loved ones at The Little Market. Take a minute and check it out—you won’t be disappointed!
- Greyston Bakery’s Benevolent Brownies
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I heard about Greyston Bakery a few months ago while working with a local homelessness resource center for my SSLP. Greyston Bakery was founded in Yonkers in 1982 with the aim of providing jobs for groups of people who would traditionally find it hard to get employed, such as the recently incarcerated or homeless. The company employs workers on an Open Hiring model, meaning that anyone who applies will be hired when a position opens up, regardless of their current or past circumstances. After all, the company motto is, “We don’t hire people to bake brownies, we bake brownies to hire people.” The best way to support Greyston Bakery this holiday season is by ordering yourself or a loved one a box of their Benevolent Brownies (which also offer a vegan option). Eat good and do good this Christmas, my friends!
- Sackcloth & Ashes’s Blankets
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Sackcloth & Ashes makes blankets, and for every blanket you buy, they’ll donate one to your local homeless shelter. Talk about making changes close to home! Their goal is to donate one million blankets across the country by 2024, and with your help, they’ll be closer to reaching it. Which one of your loved ones wouldn’t be ecstatic to wrap themselves in a big, trendy blanket on Christmas morning? Plus, if you’re anything like me, you’ll love the tangible impact Sackcloth & Ashes lets you have on your (or your gift recipient’s) local community.
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