Last-Minute Giving for a Good Cause
Three ideas to get in the holiday spirit and help those who really need it.
Dec. 21, 2007— -- With Christmas just four days away, it's down to crunch time for shopping. If you're like many other Americans, chances are you still have some gift buying to do.
In the true spirit of the season, go green with your last-minute shopping and choose gifts that keep on giving.
The following gifts give charitable contributions to green organizations on behalf of your gift recipient -- and the best part is you can buy online -- so it's never too late.
Not only will these gifts help the environment, but by making an online purchase you save on waste and energy, since you're not driving to the mall and releasing auto emissions. And you're avoiding all that gift wrapping that's often just tossed away.
Between Thanksgiving and New Year's, Americans throw away an extra 5 million tons of waste, so it's the perfect time to give back to the environment, according to www.green-living.com
Go to TisBest.org
This site offers gift certificates for tax-deductible donations that recipients can use at up to 200 charities, including the Sierra Club and other environmentally friendly groups. Plus, you can make the donation any time up to Christmas, and the e-cards will arrive in time for the holiday! All the money goes to the charity except for a $3.95 processing fee.
Sign up for the National Wildlife Federation's Adopt an Animal program on their Web site, NWF.org.
Your donation will adopt an endangered animal in your gift recipient's name. You can pick animals like polar bears, grizzlies, sea turtles and others on the federation's Web site. An adoption kit complete with a stuffed animal and a screen saver of the animal will come in the mail.
It promises "Good Morning America" viewers who register today that the adoption e-cards will be sent in time for Christmas.
Architecture for Humanity www.ABCHomeandPlanet.org is a green building project where architects choose energy-efficient appliances, sustainable materials, thicker walls with foam insulation to control temperature and bamboo floors.
Your donation will help the group's Model Home Program, which enables families in Biloxi, Miss., to rebuild their homes and their lives. Families work one-on-one with an innovative architect to design and construct from the ground up a new and affordable home tailored to their needs, one that meets new disaster-related building codes and often uses sustainable materials. Your gift recipient will receive a certificate in the mail informing them of the gift and later a beautiful handmade bag.