Although we really ought to be taking care of those in need all year ’round, it is a simple fact of life that the holidays cause many of us to think more heavily in this direction than we do the rest of the year.  And as it comes time to give gifts, we like to think about how we can also give back.  I love it when I can do both at the same time!

World Vision provides a number of opportunities to give to needs around the world.  You can help provide clean water, food animals/crops, clothing, mosquito nets – even a micro-loan for a family in a developing country to start a business.

At Christmastime one of my favorite ways to help, though, is by giving “dual gifts” – those things that, like buying fair trade, allow me to obtain a physical gift to give a friend or loved one, while also meeting a need for someone else.  The little plushies you see at the top of this post are one example.  Give to the Maximum Impact Fund (funds go where they’re most needed) and get one of these little guys (symbolizing goats, chickens, and pigs which provide food for many recipients), which you can give as a gift to your own child, as a baby gift, etc.  (Or…and it’s probably like sacrilege to say this, but I know many of you are already doing shoeboxes…support World Vision and Samaritan’s Purse by donating to World Vision and getting one of these little guys to put in your OCC shoebox.)

If the plushies aren’t your thing, there are other options in this category of 2-gifts-at-once: ornaments, jewelry, dolls, beverage containers.  These let you give a gift – that is fun to open – to a loved one, which is also meaningful.

Which is your favorite?