by Marilyn Richardson
Overwhelmed by the number of people on her Christmas list, Jean Rhodes of St. George, Utah, decided ten years ago that something needed to change. She planned that year to send stockings to everyone. Simple enough, she thought. But with six children and four in-laws, their 22 children and spouses and 24 great grandchildren, it wasn’t so simple after all.
“The sheer numbers pushed me over the edge,” said Jean. “I had to come up with a better plan.” And she found one. She gave a goat. Not to the grandchildren, but to someone in need. “I gave the goat in the children’s name and they thought that was really cool.”
Why a goat? Jean explained. “A goat is good because they can live on practically anything. And from their four quarts of milk a day, you can produce cheese or yogurt. The goats are pregnant when they are delivered, so growth is built into the project.”
Jean didn’t start out with goats. “The first year, I thought maybe I’d buy things for our local women’s shelter; cake mixes, frosting, cookie dough so the children could make treats at Christmas time. The shelter provides a list of items most requested,” said Jean, “for example Christmas Cards and stamps. And I always took one of the grandkids with me when I delivered the items.”
The following year Jean decided on shoes. “Years ago, during WWII,” she explained, “Life magazine featured a picture of a child with a new pair of shoes. Seated on a curb, he was hugging the shoes to him, face lifted toward heaven. I sent that picture with Christmas cards and a note to my grandchildren saying I was giving shoes in their name to a child in need.”
Jean doesn’t actually buy the shoes; she provides ten dollar gift certificates from Payless. The children can then come to the store and pick out what they like. “Kids always need shoes.” she said, “and so often the women and children who come to the shelters have left everything to escape a terrible situation.”
If giving a goat isn’t right for you, Heifer International offers many alternatives. Give a water buffalo, honey bees, a sewing machine, or a tree, (trees grow fast, provide shade, food, wood for fire, shelter for wildlife). Jean has also given rabbits and chickens.
If you’d like to know more about this program check out Heifer International online or phone 888-511-6511 to request a catalog. Those with sufficient means may consider the Heifer Gift Ark which offers hope worldwide to families who are poor and hungry. For $5000.00 you can send farm animals on a voyage, helping families to secure food and a source of dependable income. The program includes training to help the recipient make the best use of their gift. Each family that receives livestock from the Ark will pass on one or more of the animal’s offspring to other families who are in need in their community. The donor may indicate to which country they wish the gift sent.
It isn’t necessary to be wealthy to be part of the program. Donations of as little as ten dollars toward any of the items listed in the Heifer catalogue make a difference. And you can even print a gift card from their web site that includes information on the nature of your gift.
Jean can bear witness that giving rubs off on kids. “My children and grandchildren loved the idea from the start and have picked up on it themselves. They now give gifts in my name and I love that.” One year a granddaughter put together 25 backpacks with school supplies for the women’s shelter. Another year the cousins sponsored a well in Africa.
All the members of the Rhodes family look forward to seeing what Grandma has come up with for Christmas this year. And seeing if they can match her!
Rabbits Get Results
For a family with little land and few resources, rabbits yield remarkable results. From Chicago to Haiti to North Korea, families raise them on the back porch — or even in the kitchen. So long as they are warm and dry, rabbits thrive, and they love to eat leftover vegetables.
In turn, families get nitrogen-rich manure to use on gardens or to sell as fertilizer. And since rabbits have up to 40 offspring a year, they provide families with steady sources of protein and income. Gift of Rabbits (US $60.00) Share of Rabbits (US $10.00)
Perhaps those on your gift list would like to do the same…
Goats Are Good For Families
Goat’s milk is the only milk known to half the world’s people, but 80 percent of mothers and children in rural areas do not have any type of milk or milk products. The gift of a dairy goat is a lasting way to help a struggling family on the other side of the world. Goats can thrive in extreme climates and on poor, dry land by eating grass and leaves. A dairy goat can supply a family with up to several quarts of nutritious milk a day — a ton of milk a year.
Extra milk can be sold or used to make cheese, butter or yogurt. Families use goat manure to fertilize gardens. And because goats often have two or three kids a year, Heifer partners can start small dairies that pay for food, health care and education. No wonder the gentle nanny goat is often called the “foster mother to the human race!” Gift of a Goat (US $120.00) Share of a Goat (US $10.00)
