Charitable Gift Giving

We surf the Web to find good products that help out a great cause.

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Good Quality Baking and Kitchen Supplies

June 30th, 2011 · Amazon, Children's Charities, Education

If you’re a cook in need of good quality basic kitchen supplies, check out the HIC Brands that Cook Essentials line of cookware and kitchen accessories.

These are highly rated kitchen supplies that meet the specifications of professionals. They’re safer than the cheap supplies you buy in discount stores (for example, their silicone bakeware is 100% silicone and meets European and FDA standards for safety), and yet are much more affordable than high-end bakeware.

A portion of the proceeds for every Essentials item sold goes to C-CAP, Careers through Culinary Arts Program (http://www.ccapinc.org/). This is a great national nonprofit which is the largest independent high school culinary scholarship program in the United States. It manages prepares underserved high school students for college and for careers in both the restaurant and hospitality industries.

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Auctions from PopCap, the makers of Bejeweled and Plants vs. Zombies, that help the Starlight Foundation

June 24th, 2011 · Children's Charities, Starlight Starbright

Disclosure: We participate in the eBay Partner Network (EPN) meaning we may earn a commission when users click on links to eBay and make purchases. 

If you haven’t heard of PopCap games, you’ve no doubt heard of some of its creations. Back in 2000, they released their first game, a little game called Bejeweled. I have a feeling that if you take all the hours that mankind has spent trying to align those little jewels, it’d add up to a couple millenia.

In the 21st century, PopCap is back at it. On a recent transcontinental airplane flight I was thrilled that my Continental flight had TV–until I found out that they have the audacity to charge for it! (This is why I switched to JetBlue years ago). Out of principle, I refused to pay. But what to do for those five hours? My girlfriend Lisa knew exactly what to do. She pulled out her ASUS Transformer and started to play the Android version of Plants vs. Zombies. The five hours flew by like nothing–and yes, Lisa saved the world’s brains several times from those pesky Zombies (she’s since finished all the levels). The whole ride I watched, mesmerized at her dexterity–and super jealous that I had never purchased it for my iPhone.

Anyway, after years and years of dispossessing the world of all its productive time, PopCap is giving something back to the world in a big way. From now until July 12, PopCap is running auctions that will benefit the Starlight Foundation, a terrific charity that provides entertainment, education and family activities for seriously ill children in the United States and their families, and Special Effect, a similar charity based in the UK.

plants vs zombies artIf you’re a fan of PopCap games, you will LOVE these auctions. There are sketches by PopCap artists of artwork used in designing the games (who wouldn’t want an original sketch of a moustached zombie gracing their living room). There are all sorts of drawings, prints, and other artwork up for grabs from PopCap’s most popular games, including the Plants vs. Zombies diorama pictured here.

Some of the items are just plain bizarre, like the hilarious, albeit somewhat creepy Peashooter costume, which fans of the game will readily recognize (peas not included). Another fantastic item is this personalized sketch, where a PopCap artist will draw whatever sketch you like, whether it’s you as a Plants vs. Zombie zombie (or plant), or you as a Peggle character, or a new undiscovered Bejeweled jewel.

The current round of auctions will last until Thursday, June 28, and then a third and final round will last until Tuesday, July 12. If like me you have someone in your life who’s a Plants vs. Zombies (or Peggle, or Bejeweled) fan, this is your chance to get truly one-of-a-kind artwork that helps a great cause.

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The Bread Art Project to help Share Our Strength

June 21st, 2011 · Share Our Strength

bread artYou know that new fad where people buy toasters that burn an extra bit of the toast to make an image (see this Yankees logo toaster to see what I mean).

Well, the Grain Foods Foundation has put up a very, very cool Web site called The Bread Art Project. In it, you can use all kinds of artistic tools to design your own piece of bread and have it become part of their “art gallery”, complete with beautiful virtual frame!

Created in 2009 to help increase awareness of the growing hunger problem in America, last year the Bread Art Project raised more than $50,000 for Share Our Strength, a national nonprofit that help children get the nutritious food they need to lead healthy, active lives.

For each piece of “bread art” you create, the Grain Foods Foundation will donate $1 to Share Our Strength. Browse around the galleries and you’ll see the fun creations of artists who came before you, as well as read important facts about hunger.

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Compostable Picnic Basket

June 18th, 2011 · Arts

The first day of summer is next Tuesday, and Father’s Day is this coming Sunday. And you know what that means. Picnic season is here!

compostable picnic basket and platesThere’s one thing unfortunate about picnics, and that’s that the styrofoam plates and cups we use once and never use again end up clogging up landfills. The very things that make them so sturdy also make them resistant to biodegrading.

That’s why this picnic basket set from the Santa Monica Art Museum is so neat. It comes in a biodegradable box shaped like a briefcase on one side and a shirt-and-tie on the other side. Inside are 4 Compostable trays, 4 Compostable large bowls, 4 Compostable small bowls, 4 Compostable utensil sets, 4 Compostable cold cups, 8 Recycled napkins, and 1 Compostable trash bag.

The items are sturdy, and yet when you’re all done with them, you can compost them and in no time they’ll return to the soil. Aside from doing your part to save the environment, proceeds of sales will go to help the Art Museum.

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Missed out on the Michele Obama Blue Dress from the Gap? Get a designer FEED Bag instead!

June 15th, 2011 · Gap

Gap Feed Usa Canvas Totegap feed bagThe Gap may have sold out of the $29 blue summer dress that Michele Obama wore that made the news (although the matching skirt and vest are still available), but as long as you’re thinking of the Gap, here are some other choices from The Gap that are on sale–and help out some causes which are near and dear to the First Lady’s heart (trust me, she’d much rather you buy these than that blue dress!)

A few Thanksgivings ago, I highlighted the FEED Bag, a burlap shopping bag that you could reuse to help the environment and which also helped children in developing areas. Now, the Gap has three very stylish bags (much more stylish than the old burlap bags) on sale. $5 of the purchase price of these bags go to help improve school food and nutrition information, two causes which Ms. Obama has been very vocal about.

This beautiful Gap Feed USA bag comes in White Canvas Tote and blue Denim Bucket Tote. The white bag is made in the USA, while the denim bags are imported.

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Patriotic Sheet Music that Supports WWII Veterans

June 12th, 2011 · Veterans and Military

67 years ago six days ago was D-Day, when 175,000 Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy to free Europe and the world of the nightmare that was Nazi Germany. As we sit comfortably in our world today, one can only wonder. What would the world have looked like if those young soldiers had not had the courage to do what they did?

Today, we are losing World War II veterans to time. Honor Flight Network is a fantastic organization which aims to fulfill the dreams of our veterans and help our senior heroes travel absolutely free to Washington, D.C. to visit those memorials dedicated to honor their service and sacrifices.

Support World War II Veterans Honor Flight. Now through July 4th, for every download of U.S. patriotic sheet music, Musicnotes.com will donate $1 toward the Wisconsin World War II Veteran Honor Flight Programs. Support the Veterans today!

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New Oreos are almost here! Get a case sent to you first from Shaq!

June 9th, 2011 · Children's Charities, eBay

new oreos with three cookiesDisclosure: We participate in the eBay Partner Network (EPN) meaning we may earn a commission when users click on links to eBay and make purchases. 

Doubtless you’ve heard in the news and talk shows about the new Oreo that’s coming out. They’ve taken our beloved Oreo of two cookies and vanilla cream and added another cookie with chocolate cream. I’d always thought the Double Stuff would be the final evolution in the Oreo, but those clever people in Nabisco have done it again.

Want to try out the Triple Double Oreo before the rest of the world does? Oreo is auctioning off a CASE of these cookies which you can bid on, with one package signed by the recently-retired Shaquille O’Neal himself!

All proceeds of the sale will go to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Newark. The auction will run until next Friday, June 17.

As for when the Oreos will be available in stores, Nabisco is not very specific, saying “summertime 2011”. But I’ll post details as I get them here!

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Help raise $10,000 for UNICEF through votes for T-Shirt Designs at Threadless

June 6th, 2011 · Children's Charities

threadless t-shirt charity logoThreadless is a super-cool company founded in 2000 by entrepreneur Jake Nickell. It has a fan base of nearly one million users, among which are designers, artists and general consumers from around the world who submit and vote on designs in ongoing competitions. Selected designs are produced and available for sale, and the designers receive $2,000 plus a $500 gift certificate. If you’re tired of mass-produced T-Shirts with plan, boring designs, you’ll find some of the best designs available anywhere at Threadless.

From June 6, 2011 to June 9, 2011, Threadless is holding the “Vote for Kids Challenge”. If you join Threadless and vote on 100 designs within those days, Threadless will donate $1 to UNICEF, up to a total of $10,000.

In addition, there are some impressive entries for a UNICEF T-Shirt based on the theme of “childhood”. Starting July 4, Threadless will donate 25% of the sale of each tee sold in the United States to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF in support of UNICEF’s efforts to end the preventable deaths of children.

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Jetblue’s Celebrity Bag Auctions

June 3rd, 2011 · Uncategorized

celebrity baggage auction

Disclosure: We participate in the eBay Partner Network (EPN) meaning we may earn a commission when users click on links to eBay and make purchases. 

Hurry! You only have hours left to bid on bags signed by celebrities in the The Celebrity Baggage Auction, a clever set of eBay auctions being sponsored by JetBlue where 100% of the proceeds will help dosomething.org, a charity set up to encourage youth around the country to do something for a good cause. There are 28 bags up for auction, all ending on Monday, June 6.

There’s an impressive number of celebrities who have agree to lend their names and their signatures to the cause, from actors and actresses to singers. Country music fans will be happy to know that three of the top five auctions are currently country music stars (a handbag and photo from Sara Evans, a guitar from Taylor Swift, and a duffel bag an CD from Martina McBride).

JetBlue is also urging people to visit its Facebook page, where they can get a chance to win a celebrity bag. They will donating $1 to DoSomething.org for every entry received.

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Did you miss the Pretzel Hat on eBay?

May 31st, 2011 · Uncategorized

Disclosure: We participate in the eBay Partner Network (EPN) meaning we may earn a commission when users click on links to eBay and make purchases. 

Remember the pretzel hat that Princess Beatrice (Andrew and Fergie’s daughter) wore that was all the rage at the royal wedding?

Turns out Princess Beatrice auctioned the hat off on eBay last week.

pretzel hat auctioned off on ebay

The final total was £81,100.01, or about $131,000 in US dollars. As much derision and scorn as the hat generated, one thing is for sure: no other hat on any other head that day would have gone for as much!

Kudos to Princess Beatrice for having a sense of humor about the whole thing, and for turning the publicity into good. All of the money raised from this auction will go to support The Little Bee Initiative, which helps UNICEF UK and Children in Crisis.

If you missed out on the dress, it’s not too late! There are still auctions out there that support The Little Bee Initiative. Granted, the only item available right now is a Margaret Thatcher Nutcracker, which is almost as ridiculous as the hat!

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