Last-Minute Christmas Gifts that Change Lives

Cheryl DeBruler, Marking Operations Specialist for World Vision, is seeing a return to meaningful gift giving this year through World Vision’s popular Gift Catalog.

“The holidays can be stressful, especially if you are a last-minute shopper,” DeBruler says. “But when we pause to help our neighbors in need, we all experience the holidays in a more meaningful way.”

According to a World Vision survey conducted last month by Harris Interactive, 8 out of 10 Americans (83 percent) say they’d prefer to receive a meaningful gift that would help someone else instead of a traditional gift like clothing or electronics this holiday. The survey also shows 9 in 10 parents in the U.S. say they take steps to teach their children the value of giving.

Knowing this, World Vision is encouraging Americans to check out the World Vision Gift Catalog, which features gift-giving alternatives that can improve the life of a child or family in need by providing opportunities to overcome extreme poverty.

Gifts from the catalog can be purchased in the name of a friend or loved one. A card describing the impact of your charitable gift can be printed online in minutes, making it a great alternative to visiting jam-packed stores days before Christmas.

Shoppers can choose from hundreds of meaningful, life-changing gifts – such as goats, school supplies, and fresh water wells – that honor the recipient and create a lasting impact for people in need. There are many gifts under $35 dollars, including:

• Two chickens - $25
• Bed nets for one family - $18
• Five ducks - $30
• Food kits for low-income families in the U.S. - $16

This year marks the 17th annual edition of the World Vision Gift Catalog. Since 1996, the catalog’s popularity has grown, with more than 160,000 purchases last year raising more than $33 million that helped more than 825,000 people around the world. Goats ($75) remain the most popular item; more than 67,000 goats were given to families around the world in 2011. In addition to nourishing hungry children and families with healthy milk, cheese, and yogurt, goats also give a much-needed income boost by providing offspring and extra dairy products for sale at the market.

Children and adults alike can learn more about the recipients of items purchased in the gift catalog through the catalog’s Facebook page.

To order from World Vision’s Gift Catalog, visit www.worldvisiongifts.org.

To order by phone or to request a print catalog, call toll-free at (888) 511-6511.

Published: December 20, 2012