Give Charitable Christmas Gifts with GFA World
From sending shoeboxes to giving canned items to food pantries, from donating clothing to dropping money in the red buckets outside stores, there are a lot of ways to give charitable Christmas gifts each year. The tradition of charity at Christmas has been in place for a long time, as Charles Dickens wrote in A Christmas Carol, “But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round—apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that—as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.”[1]
It is easy for us to think of Dickens’s commentary as something only applicable to the streets of London in 1843. However, of all the times throughout the year to give charitable gifts, Christmas remains the most popular time; 30 percent of all annual giving happens in December, and 10 percent of all annual giving occurs in just the last three days of the year.[2] In addition, poverty is still a problem that many suffer from all over the world. Progress in eradicating poverty has stalled in the last few years, and about 8.5 percent of the world’s population—about 700 million people—live below the extreme poverty line of $2.15 a day. Three-quarters of those in extreme poverty live in Sub-Saharan Africa or in fragile, conflict-affected areas.[3]
Thus, giving charitable gifts for Christmas is a major way that people can help those in need. Organizations have catalogs full of charitable Christmas gifts that people can provide for others. GFA World also has a catalog, with gifts that provide families and communities in Africa and Asia with a tool to help them escape the cycle of poverty, showing God’s love in a practical way. Among these gifts are blankets, mosquito nets, outdoor toilets, Jesus Wells, sewing machines and farm animals.[4]
Animals may seem like an odd way to help those living in poverty, especially for those of us who only think of them as pets, but they are indeed an effective solution. For one, animals provide food to eat, which is a desperate need of the extremely poor. Besides meat, cows and goats produce milk and chickens lay eggs. These nutrient-rich items can be eaten as well as sold for income. And when the animals begin to reproduce, things change even more drastically. Families can sell the animals or their meat, creating an even larger source of income that allows them to afford things that were out of reach before, like healthcare and education. With their basic needs met, their quality of life increases, and they can see hope for the future instead of just bleakness.[5]
One woman learned just how valuable farm animals can be. Raylea was a widow in an Asian society where widows are commonly considered cursed and are even blamed for their husbands’ deaths. As the mother of two young children, Raylea worked and struggled every day to provide for them, but her humble position made the outlook shaky and uncertain. Then things changed: Raylea received two goats through a GFA World Christmas gift distribution. Their milk provided her children with much-needed protein and calcium for their growing bodies. Raylea was also able to earn an income by selling the extra milk, changing her family’s lives for good. She could finally afford more food and clothes for her children and was even able to get them school uniforms. She expressed her gratitude by donating a goat to her local church so another needy family could receive the same blessing and experience God’s love the same way she had.[6]
Goats are an ideal animal for those living with very limited resources, like Raylea. They require little land and can forage for food virtually anywhere. Nanny goats can bear several kids in a year, leading to rapid herd expansion. In some areas, a single goat can sell for an amount equal to an entire month’s income. In addition, goat meat is a great source of nutritious protein.[7]
Goats are just one of many charitable gifts to give for Christmas through GFA’s Christmas Gift Catalog. It doesn’t take much to provide goats to a family in need, just $140 a pair. A pair of chickens is only $11, and a blanket can be provided for $25, but any amount can help change a family’s life and show them how much God loves them.[8] As you plan your charitable Christmas gifts this year, consider partnering with GFA World as we work to end poverty and show Christ’s love to those who need it most.
Learn more about charitable Christmas gift ideas
[1] A Christmas Carol. Accessed December 5, 2024. https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=f8ANAAAAQAAJ&vq=But%20I%20am%20sure%20I%20have%20always%20thought%20of%20Christmas%20time%2C%20when%20it%20has%20come%20round&pg=PA5#v=onepage&q&f=false.
[2] “The Ultimate List of Charitable Giving Statistics For 2024.” Nonprofits Source. Accessed October 28, 2024. https://nonprofitssource.com/online-giving-statistics/.
[3] “Poverty: Overview.” World Bank Group. October 15, 2024. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/overview.
[4] Christmas 2024 Gift Catalog. GFA World. Accessed October 28, 2024. https://www.gfa.org/gift/.
[5] Palmer Holt of InChrist Communications. “A Surprising Antidote to World Poverty: Farm Animals.” GFA World, November 30, 2021. https://www.gfa.org/special-report/solutions-poverty-farm-animals/.
[6] Palmer Holt of InChrist Communications. “A Surprising Antidote to World Poverty: Farm Animals.” GFA World, November 30, 2021. https://www.gfa.org/special-report/solutions-poverty-farm-animals/#:~:text=a%20humble%20goat.-,Cursed%20No%20More,-Like%20this%20woman.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Christmas 2024 Gift Catalog. GFA World. Accessed October 28, 2024. https://www.gfa.org/gift/.