Shopping That Keeps On Giving

With only five shopping days left before Christmas, the tryanny of holiday gift shopping is at full throttle. So with gift buying on the minds of so many, I thought it would be of interest to highlight a few of the charity-corporate programs that were devised to encourage shopping.

For the first time, the Weatherproof Clothing Company has linked up with New York Cares' annual coat drive for the homeless, which is now in its 21st year. From December 14 -17, New Yorkers were encouraged to bring a gently worn coat to a drop off location in Penn Station. The donors were given a $100 voucher that would be used towards one of the coats being sold on Weatherproof's "Coats for Clunkers" website. On the site shoppers have a choice of three men's coats - a leather coat $164.99, the Ultra-Tech coat $129.99 and the Faux Sherpa coat $139.99 - and three women's coats - a trench coat $129.99, a walking coat $139.99, and an irridescent trench coat $149.99. The shipping cost per coat is $6.00.

http://www.coatsforclunkers.com/
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20091125/FREE/911259993

Cataloger Lands' End also encouraged donations of used but wearable coats. From October 29 through November 30, customers were encouraged to drop off the coat at one of the 252 Lands’ End shops at Sears or at oneof the 13 Lands’ End Inlets® around the U.S. The customer then received a coupon good for 20% off the purchase of a new Lands’ End coat. The donated coats were being sent to the National Coalition for the Homeless and the coats would then be given to homeless people as near as possible to where the coats were donated. Donors even find out what happened to the coat they donated by going to www.bigwarmup.com, then the "Find Your Coat" tab, and then typing in the unique code that appears on the paper receipt. To date 33,344 coats have been donated nationally.

http://www.landsend.com/newsroom/press_releases/press_releases/oct28_big_warm_up/index.html

ABC Carpet & Home, via its ABC Home & Planet Foundation, has partnered with numerous nonprofits to give "Gifts of Compassion." Though the gifts can be given year round, the December holiday season seems to be a fitting time to bring attention to this program.

Gifts can be purchased through the company's website via a link to the foundation site, or directly through the foundation's website. Shoppers can also go to the MISSION Market located on the first floor of the ABC Carpet & Home flagship store in Manhattan and select the charity and the program. The receipient will receive a personalized certificate that is placed in a vintage silk sari envelope.

One of the available Gifts of Compassion is "A Sacred Cow for Fetile Soil." For a donation of $130, a cotton farmer in the Asifabad region of Andhra Predesh, India will receive a cow, which is a basic necessity that the farmers lack. The donation also covers that cost of feed, shelter construction, healthcare, and insurance for the cow.

Most Gifts of Compassion average about $100. So for individuals who can afford to spend as much, gift givers can choose the lower cost Clusters of Compassion.

Gift givers can choose from the following groups: Africa AIDS Response, Aid to Artisans, Architecture for Humanity, Batonga Foundation, Calvert Foundation, Chetna Organic, Children's Theatre Company, ForestEthics, Global Fund for Women, The Green Belt Movement, Greyston Foundation, Housing Works, Malaria No More, The Natural Resources Defense Council, Navdanya, NY Pet-I-Care, One H.E.A.R.T., The Patrick Chege Memorial Orphanage, Project Mala, Rainforest Action Network, Rudolf Steiner College, Tickle-Up, V-Day, Women for Afgan Women.

http://www.abchomeandplanet.org/

As you are beginning to learn, I love to promote the little guy. So I will end this post with a nod to Mikelle Design. This maker and seller of lovely jewelry has some offering that benefit nonprofits. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the "Happy Elephant necklace benefits either an elephant sanctuary in Kenya or in Tennessee. At its booth at the Grand Central Station Holiday Fair in New York, Mikelle Design was selling beaded Fairy Penguins that were made by disadvantaged people who live in the townships of Cape Town, South Africa. The beaded penguins were acquired through the nonprofit Monkey Biz South Africa; www.monkeybiz.co.za

Mikelle Design also has a project in development in South Africa to assist the children affected by the HIV/Aids Crisis