Buy a different kind of gift this year

Christmas … already?

The next big holiday is looming on the horizon … Christmas! Do you love everything about Christmas or do you think the commercialism is just getting over the top? Are there more people on your list who seem to have everything already? Or people you don’t really know well but have to buy a gift for (like your child’s teacher)? Or those folks who you know are going to re-gift your present at the earliest opportunity?

Buy a different kind of gift this year

89% of Canadians ‘agree’ that Christmas is becoming too commercial, and 88% ‘agree’ we need to spend more time at Christmas focusing on those who need help. And a recent Ipsos Reid poll found a staggering 74% of Canadians agree that a charitable donation made in their name instead of receiving a traditional gift makes them feel good.

Ethical giving is catching on. Ethical gifts make a difference. They bring hope, and carry power and meaning. Ethical giving at home weaves a thread of familiarity throughout the members of a community, bringing everyone closer together with the common goal of providing support to one another.

How can I make a difference here at home?

People are constantly amazed to hear that families right in our own county don’t have enough food. At SIRCH, we see families that live on less than $1,000 a month, children who eat cereal with water because their parents can’t afford milk, people who have to choose between heat and food, seniors with completely empty fridges. And the circumstances that result in hunger can happen overnight … a job loss, death of a spouse, a sick child, an injury … there are many reasons people’s circumstances change and they have to struggle. But you can help.

SIRCH started Gifts from the Heart to offer you a way to give a meaningful gift at Christmas that will impact our own community. In the past year, SIRCH has provided over 5,100 free, nutritious meals to those in need, all funded through Gifts from the Heart and other donations! Now that’s a Christmas gift — free, nutritious, home cooked meals to those in need.

To give a Gift from the Heart, click here.