Charitable Gift Giving

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

Charitable Gift Giving header image 1

New York Cookbook that goes to help Meals on Wheels

November 20th, 2007 · Amazon, Meals on Wheels, World Hunger

Can’t make it to New York to dine this Thanksgiving or holiday season? Bring New York to your kitchen.

The New York Cookbook is a phenomenal cookbook edited by Molly O’Neill, a food columnist for the New York Times. It’s a cookbook which took five years to compile, has won all kinds of awards, and has sold over 200,000 copies.

O’Neill collected recipes from the best restaurants in Queens, Staten Island, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Manhattan. You can cook everything from Salmon Rilettes from the Four Seasons to Horn & Hardart’s Mac and Cheese to Junior’s cheesecakes right in your own kitchen. It’s a cookbook as eclectic as New York City. Not only does it contain more than 500 recipes and 700 photographs, it also has walking tours of New York, shopping tips, cooking hints, and stories and anecdotes from restauranteurs and celebrities.

A percentage of royalties go to Citymeals on Wheels, an organization that delivers meals to homebound elderly throughout New York City.

→ No CommentsTags:

Pink Porcelain Music Box supporting Breast Cancer research

November 18th, 2007 · Breast Cancer, ChristianBook.Com

7252700: Wings of Hope, Porcelain Music BoxThe Wings of Hope Porcelain Music Box is a great holiday gift, new for 2007.

It’s a collectible Ardleigh Elliott porcelain music box, featuring a beautiful pink pattern made of 22K gold accents, crystals, faux gums, rhinestones and an elaborately jeweled butterly. The top of the music box is made of pewter, and features a pink ribbon.

 Under the lid as a simple message of “hope”, and the melody that plays is “Wind Beneath My Wings”.

A great gift item for the upcoming holiday season that goes to help a great cause.

→ No CommentsTags:

The Boy of Color

November 17th, 2007 · Children's Charities, ChristianBook.Com

the boy of colorThis is a children’s book where the story of how it was written is just as interesting as the story itself.

Kid’s Club is an after-school, faith-based program located in Chicago which reaches out to high-risk children living in the inner city.

The book is a great children’s book that also teaches an important lesson to kids aged 4 to 7 that God created all colors–and people–beautiful.

The Boy of Color was written and illustrated by two children at Kid’s Club for a writing contest. A portion of royalties are being donated to Kid’s Club.

→ No CommentsTags:

Crickey, It's a Croc! Gifts that remember the legacy of Steve Irwin.

November 15th, 2007 · Australia Zoo, Conservation, Discovery Channel Store

Steve Irwin 36It’s been a little over a year since the world lost Steve Irwin, but his absence is still felt.

Steve Irwin passed away on September 4, 2006, but as a way to remember him one year later, the Australia Zoo chose today, November 15, as “Steve Irwin Day”. They chose it not as a day to remember his death, but the extraordinary life he led, and the legacy he left.

The date was chosen because it happened to be the birthday of Harriet, a Giant Galapagos Land Tortoise that lived to 175 years old, and also passed away in 2006. This day was always a special one for Steve Irwin and the families and kids who visited the Australia Zoo, so they decided to use this day to remember

You may not be able to visit Australia, but you can remember Steve Irwin’s legacy (and support the Australia Zoo wildlife conservation program that Steve was a champion of) through these great products, of which a percentage will be donated.

The Steve Irwin 36″ Plush Crocodile is pictured above, and would provide a soft and cuddly thrill to the kid in your life. It features Steve Irwin’s signature embroidered in the belly.

The Steve Irwin Talking Action Figure is a great doll of Steve Irwin that comes complete with a 9″ crocodile. The doll plays 8 phrases recorded by Steve Irwin himself, including “Crikey!”.

The Steve Irwin Xtreme Machine Truck is a great monster truck shaped like a crocodile. It comes with a posable Steve Irwin action figure.

Finally, the Steve Irwin Australian Walkabout Playset is a fantastic playset including eight miniature animals from Australia, including a Tasmanian devil, a snake, a wombat, a koala, a platypus, a dingo, a red kangaroo, and an emu. And of course, it comes with a 4 inch Steve Irwin action figure.

Family and fun were always as important to Steve Irwin as wildlife conservation, and these toys can bring them all together. Celebrate Steve Irwin Day in two weeks by ordering these great toys for the kids in your life.

→ No CommentsTags:

Russ Shining Stars Penguins and other Friends

November 13th, 2007 · Amazon, Children's Charities, Starlight Starbright

cutest penguin stuffed animalIf you read the reviews on this stuffed animal from Russ, you’ll see there are irate people complaining about how it’s not a Webkinz.

Okay, so it’s not a Webkinz, it’s a Shining Stars Penguin. But even so, isn’t that little guy staring at you to the left the cutest thing that you’ve ever seen?

If you just want a cute soft and cuddly stuffed animal that contributes to a good cause, you can’t beat these little guys. The good cause in this case is the Starlight Starbright children’s foundation, which supports seriously ill children. A portion of all the proceeds of sales of these stuffed animals goes to them.

Also included is the ability to name a star with the International Star Registry, normally worth $55 but which comes free with these stuff animals.

If the little penguin doesn’t win over your heart, try resisting some of his friends 🙂

shining stars bearShining Stars Cream Bear

shining stars blue bearShining Stars Blue Bear

shining stars horseShining Stars HorseShining Stars Beagle

shining stars beagleShining Stars BeagleShining Stars Yellow Lab

shining star yellow lab

→ No CommentsTags:

Flags of Our Fathers by Keni Thomas

November 11th, 2007 · Amazon, Special Operations Warriors Foundation

flags of our fathers cdFlags of Our Fathers is a CD released by rock and country star Keni Thomas, and is appropriate to mention on this Veteran’s Day.

Keni Thomas is a southern rock and country music singer from Columbus, Georgia who served in the Army in Task Force Ranger, and fought during the “Black Hawk Down” incident in the early 1990s. After Somalia, Thomas went on to serve as an assistant team leader on Ranger recon teams.

Upon leaving active duty service, Thomas become a youth counselor and motivational speaker, before starting a career in music in 2004.

This album is inspired by men and women in uniform, about whom all songs are written about. Country music stars such as Emmylou Harris and Vince Gill collaborated.

Thomas donates some of the proceeds to the Hero Fund, which directs those funds to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, an organization created to provide college scholarships and financial aid to the children of fallen Special Operations soldiers.

→ No CommentsTags:

Rules for Happiness Paperweight to Help Art Students

November 9th, 2007 · Arts, New Urban Arts, Uncommon Goods

rules for happiness

Most people who know me know that I smile a lot. I’m not exactly sure why this is, but a lot of it has to do with the way my parents brought me up and just being surrounded by the love of family and the love of God all my life.

So imagine my surprise when I found this item that summarizes everything in convenient paperweight form 🙂

It’d make a great gift for that person in your life who could use a reminder to just simplify things and enjoy life.

5% of the proceeds from this item goes to help New Urban Arts, an art studio for high school students and emerging artists.

This great item is from the good folks at Uncommon Goods. A co-worker of mine introduced me to this company when we were buying a baby gift for our boss, and now that she’s expecting , I’ll be going right back to them and getting something for her.

In addition to the proceeds of this gift, through their “Better to Give” program, you can donate an additional $1 of your order to one of four terrific non-profit organizations at the end of checkout.

→ No CommentsTags:

Bake Me a Wish: Delicious Cakes That Help the Make a Wish Foundation

November 7th, 2007 · Bake Me a Wish, Make-A-Wish Foundation

chocolate cake that helps Make Me a WishWant a freshly baked cake from a real New York City bakery on your table for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, or to celebrate a birthday or anniversary?

You are in for a treat. Literally.

Bake Me a Wish is an authentic Manhattan bakery with a difference. 5% of all proceeds from cakes you order from their site goes to the Make A Wish Foundation.

These are not supermarket cakes. These are freshly baked cakes made from old-fashioned ingredients you can pronounce. Things like German chocolate, sugar, and butter. No seventeen-syllable ingredients here.

Order a cake, and FedEx will deliver it to your door (or the door of the person you’re sending it to) the very next day. And the cake is packaged to ensure that it stays as fresh as if you’d flew to New York to pick it up yourself! They package it securely, and keep it cool with ice packs and air packs.

The cakes even come with a free gift card and a beautiful gift box.

This is one of those very special companies that deliver what they say they will and more. The only problem you’ll have is trying to decide which of their incredible cakes to order. It literally took me an hour just to choose which cake to display at the top of this blog post, before I decided on the Triple Chocolate Enrobed Brownie Cakeicon.

But if you’re in the mood for Carrot Cake, Vanilla Bean Cake, Strawberry Short Cake, or any of a number of other delicious cakes, you are in luck.

Treat yourself or a loved one now!

→ No CommentsTags:

Red ipod for AIDS research – iPod (Product) RED

November 5th, 2007 · AIDS, Apple, Global Fund

Apple iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition, 8GB - MB257C/AApple Inc. never ceases to amaze me. I’ve been a very fanatical customer of theirs since I owned an Apple //e in the early 1980’s. I was the proud owner of a Mac SE/30 in the early 1990’s, and a Powerbook in the late 1990’s.

I remember when everyone left them for dead, and then they came out with this new thing called an “iPod”, which changed everything.

This is a very cool thing they’re doing with a very cool product. For the same price as their regular iPod Nanos and iPod Shuffles, you can get this red version (which IMO is by far the best color of all of them). And all the proceeds of sales of these versions of the iPod go to The Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa!

It’s not clear how long Apple will continue this, and it will almost certainly be a hot seller for the upcoming holiday season, so grab yours while you can!

The Apple iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition goes for $199. If that’s too pricey, you can also go for the über cool Apple iPod shuffle (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition, 2GB at $69.

→ 2 CommentsTags:

JP Lizzy Designer Diaper Bag that Helps the March of Dimes

November 3rd, 2007 · Amazon, Birth Defects, March of Dimes

March of Dimes Diaper BagIn 1938, the March of Dimes was founded to fight the devastating disease of childhood polio.

In 1955, the charity achieved what all charities hope to achieve but few charities do: to make itself unnecessary. When Dr. Jonas Salk introduced the vaccine to polio, largely funded by efforts from the March of Dimes, polio in our times was wiped away.

Rather than going out of business, in 1958, The March of Dimes changed its mission from fighting polio to continuing the fight to help mothers and children. Its mission changed to preventing premature birth, birth defects, and infant mortality. Today, it’s still going strong.

This designer March of Dimes Diaper Bag is from JP Lizzy. It comes with everything you’d expect in a great diaper bag: lots of pockets, made of microfiber wipable fabric, and coordinated changing pad. As a bonus, it doubles as a very stylish messenger bag, so it looks as great in the boardroom as it works in the changing room.

A portion of proceeds goes to help the March of Dimes.

→ No CommentsTags: