Have a little extra money this holiday season and want to give back? Looking for a charity that needs your help? We’ve got a daily list charitable donations for you to make this Christmas a special one. Today, we highlight the work of Heifer.org, a fabulous organization that helps impoverished families achieve self-reliance by providing them the livestock and tools they need to sustain themselves. Last year, I gave a goat in my mother’s name (MERRY CHRISTMAS, MOM!), so that a family in Africa (or Central America or the Middle East) could have milk and cheese FOR YEARS to come! It was only $120! FOR A FREAKIN’ GOAT! How great is that?

From the Heifer.org mission statement:

Heifer International’s mission is to work with communities to end world hunger and poverty and to care for the Earth.

Dan West was a farmer from the American Midwest and member of the Church of the Brethren who went to the front lines of the Spanish Civil War as an aid worker. His mission was to provide relief, but he soon discovered the meager single cup of milk rationed to the weary refugees once a day was not enough.

And then he had a thought: What if they had not a cup, but a cow?

That “teach a man to fish” philosophy is what drove West to found Heifer International. And now, nearly 70 years later, that philosophy still inspires our work to end world hunger and poverty throughout the world once and for all.

HOW IT WORKS

We empower families to turn hunger and poverty into hope and prosperity – but our approach is more than just giving them a handout. Heifer links communities and helps bring sustainable agriculture and commerce to areas with a long history of poverty. Our animals provide partners with both food and reliable income, as agricultural products such as milk, eggs and honey can be traded or sold at market.

When many families gain this new sustainable income, it brings new opportunities for building schools, creating agricultural cooperatives, forming community savings and funding small businesses.

Such a great idea. And you don’t have to just get a goat! You can buy a flock of geese, or a water buffalo, or an alpaca… the list goes on and on. Or you can partner with other people and go IN ON a water buffalo together. It’s all really simple.

Go HERE to learn more about what you can do to help inspire change and transform a family.