Udderly Original Gifts
Did you know that a single cow can provide up to four gallons of milk a day? Or that a hen can lay 200 eggs a year?
These are a few of the things that you - and perhaps your children or grand-kids - will learn browsing the catalog of Heifer International, an organization which works to combat hunger and poverty by providing sources of food, i.e., livestock, rather than simply giving food. In 1944, the first shipment of 17 heifers left York, Pennsylvania, for Puerto Rico, going to families whose malnourished children had never even tasted milk. Since then, the organization has helped 7 million impoverished families.
What’s unique is that instead of just asking for donations, this organization suggests that you give a heifer or a goat in the name of someone on your holiday gift list. A heifer would require a gift of $500, but if your budget is more modest, you could give three rabbits for $60 or a share of a heifer for $50 or a flock of chicks for $20. The possibilities range from bees to water buffaloes. Make your selection then choose an electronic or a printable gift card.
Heifer also has a gift registry. If you’d rather not get another sweater or gadget this year, you can request that friends and family give a donation in your name and register for, say, a sheep or a llama.
To learn more, check out the website, www.catalog.heifer.org or call 800/422-0755.