Holiday gift-giving alternatives

By Ken Satterfield
Word&Way

Water

• About one out of every six humans lack access to an improved water supply, and a child dies from a water-related disease every 15 seconds. Water Partners International (water.org), based in Kansas City, has worked with more than 200 communities in eight countries to provide safe drinking water and basic sanitation.

• Heifer Project International (heifer.org) is committed to ending hunger and fighting poverty by giving families a source of food such as pigs, llamas, chicks, goats and honeybees.

• World Vision (worldvision.org) transforms the lives of children and families through alpacas and pigs, along with food, water and education.

Food

Many local food pantries are stretched beyond capacity. Consider donating food on someone’s behalf or look for ideas on one of these sites:

• FeedtheChildren.org — U.S. and global hunger relief

• SecondHarvest.org — The largest U.S. domestic hunger-relief organization with local links

Reading

• Purchase literacy-related items on First Book (www.firstbook.org) to encourage literacy

• Consider volunteer options to increase literacy — and consider a literacy-enhancing career yourself — with the list at LearnHowToBecome.org

Gift Cards

• Consumer Reports found 29 percent of those who received gift cards last year have not used them. Give the cash value of unused cards (donateagiftcard.com) to a charity (after a $4.50 transaction fee) on behalf of your family