Heifer Project for Christmas

Here's something to think about. This Christmas, instead of buying more trendy clothes or superfluous gagets and gizmos, why not give to one of the best charities I have ever come across. The Heifer Project deserves our dollars.

In the 1930s, a civil war raged in Spain. Dan West, a Midwestern farmer and Church of the Brethren youth worker, ladled out cups of milk to hungry children on both sides of the conflict. It struck him that what these families needed was "not a cup, but a cow." He asked his friends back home to donate heifers, a young cow that has not borne a calf, so hungry families could feed themselves. In return, they could help another family become self-reliant by passing on to them one of their gift animal’s female calves.
The idea of giving families a source of food rather than short-term relief caught on and has continued for more than 50 years. As a result, families in 115 countries have enjoyed better health, more income and the joy of helping others.

These days, it's not only heifers that are given to hungry families in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, North and South America. All sorts of animals (and training in their care) are offered as a way for families to feed themselves and become self-reliant. Children receive nutritious milk or eggs; families earn income for school, health care and better housing; communities go beyond meeting immediate needs to fulfilling dreams. Farmers learn sustainable, environmentally sound agricultural techniques.

On the other hand, we know how much you've been wanting those new golf clubs, that DVD player and a bright shiny toaster oven. We trust you though to do the right thing.