Charitable Gift Giving

Every now and then, Groupon presents a neat variation of their half-price deals which helps charity. From now until the end of the day tomorrow (Thursday July 21), Groupon has a page set up to help the World Food Program, the United Nations frontline agency mandated to help the one in seven people on earth afflicted with global hunger.

Specifically, your donation on this page will help support and bring much-needed cooking stoves to families living in Darfur, a region that is wracked with hunger, poverty and conflict. Unlike other charities, you’re not asked to doanted hundreds of dollars here. All it takes is $3. That’s less than a cup of coffee (or about a third of a cup of coffee at Starbucks!)

World Food and Groupon are depending on the power of bulk buying. For all donations up to $100,000, an anonymous donor is matching it.

The money will go to buy stoves for people in Darfur who have been displaced due to the horrific situation there. Why stoves? In Darfur, women often have to walk long distances to find firewood to cook for their families. Sadly, the lawlessness in these areas results in many women getting raped and killed, just for trying to provide for their families.

These stoves burn firewood more efficiently and burn more cleanly. Thus, women need to gather wood less frequently. The World Food Program will also provide training to women on how to make and sell the stoves, providing them a much-needed chance at hope for the future.

Just reading the news release from the World Food Program was incredibly disturbing to me, as I’m sure as it was to you. While times are tough, chances are you won’t really miss $3. But for those suffering in Darfur, even that small amount can make a world of difference.