Healthy Snack Ideas

While this is not a post about healthy snacks, I thought I'd post it here because if you are interested in your good health and the health of your family, then chances are you have a big heart that wants to reach out and help others.

At this time of year when the focus seems to be on spending, sparkles and excess, it's also traditionally a time when charitable organizations try to raise money to keep their work going into the next year. If you've been feeling the pinch of the uncertain economy, you might be looking for a way that you leverage the money you're already spending on loved-ones, friends and colleagues to spread a bit farther and help support those causes that you hold dear.

I've assembled a shortlist of websites where you can purchase a wide variety of gifts where part of the money you spend on the gifts is contributed on your behalf to the charitable cause of your choice. Here is a little bit of information about each organization so that you can decide which one you want to work with.

http://www.giftsthatgive.com/

Charitable giving through GiftsthatGive.com is built in every time you shop with us.  Shop with a Social Impact!

Buy designer gifts and have $1 of every $5 you spend go to any cause of your choice – from the American Red Cross, to the Sierra Club, to Susan G. Komen. When you shop with us, you not only have access to top name brands, but you also do social good. Giving back is easy when you shop with GiftsthatGive.com.

http://www.giftback.com/

At Giftback we match name brand products with charitable donations to create highly memorable gift packages.  We increase the intrinsic value of gifts by allowing for a high level of personalization and enabling business and individual consumers the opportunity to support causes that are important to them.

http://worldofgood.ebay.com/

WorldofGood.com by eBay is the world’s largest multi-seller marketplace for socially and environmentally responsible shopping, featuring tens of thousands of stylish and unique products from around the world. More than simply a place to buy and sell, WorldofGood.com brings unprecedented trust and transparency to a shopping experience where every purchase makes a positive impact.

http://www.heifer.org

Heifer International's goal is to end hunger and poverty, and to care for the earth. By giving families a hand-up, not just a hand-out, we empower them to turn lives of hunger and poverty into self-reliance and hope.

With gifts of livestock and training, we help families improve their nutrition and generate income in sustainable ways. We refer to the animals as "living loans" because in exchange for their livestock and training, families agree to give one of its animal's offspring to another family in need. It's called Passing on the Gift – a cornerstone of our mission that creates an ever-expanding network of hope and peace.

http://www.globalgoodspartners.org

Global Goods Partners is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to empowering women, alleviating poverty and promoting social justice. We partner with community based organizations in marginalized regions of Asia, Africa, the Americas and the Middle East, creating access to theU.S.market for our partners’ handcrafted products and providing technical assistance to build sustainable livelihoods.

I hope that these websites give you some ideas for how you can give great gifts and give back to support some amazing causes that are saving lives, and changing the world for the better.