BECKY ZIMMER

For many of you, it’s that time of year again: it’s the time to start Christmas shopping.

Everyone has someone so difficult to shop for that they go straight for the gift cards on their list. Why not give a gift that will make a difference instead?

Here are just some of the charitable, internationally recognized non-profit organizations that provide help and assistance to wildlife, wilderness and human communities.

World Wildlife Federation

Do you have an animal lover on your list? Purchase a WWF symbolic adoption in their name. The WWF advocates for the protection of a wide range of at-risk species and their habitats all over the world. The WWF promotes the use of clean energy and is pushing for 100 per cent renewable energy worldwide by 2050.

You can donate to the protection of 24 at-risk species, including grey wolves, caribou, polar bears and arctic foxes. WWF symbolic adoptions can be purchased for under $50, with all proceeds going to the protection of the chosen species and its habitat. For the donation you receive a personalized adoption certificate, a plush toy of the animal you’ve adopted, a recycled gift bag and an information package on the species.

Nature Conservancy of Canada

Got someone on your list who loves to camp? A donation to the Nature Conservancy will help keep the wildness they love pristine. Donate money in their name to protect the habitats of many Canadian at-risk species and your purchase will be used to protect the Canadian wilderness.

The Nature Conservancy has six gifts available for purchase, including protecting the habitats of the grizzly bear, caribou and snowy owl. You can also purchase an acre of Canadian wilderness to be protected from environmental devastation. Prices range from $40 to $400.

Oxfam

Is there a person on your list who wants to help communities in developing countries? Then an Oxfam Unwrapped donation gift is for you. Oxfam Canada supports advocacy, emergency and long-term development programs in many developing countries around the world.

You can provide communities with livestock, plants, school books or safe drinking water under your friend’s name and make a difference for families in any of 20 different African, Asian and American countries in need. Prices range from $15, which allows you to send someone a card with a message of peace, to $175, which will pay for a well to provide a community with clean water.

Red Cross

Have a person to buy for who is always there for you? Pass on the friendship by being there for someone else. Buy an emergency kit in their name from the Red Cross and help people who need assistance after an emergency. Wherever there is disaster, Red Cross is there to provide medicine, food, shelter and clean water to those who need it. They also provide safety training like ice, swimming and water safety along with first aid and CPR courses. Make a donation of any amount in your friend’s name or custom-make an emergency kit that will go to someone in need. Choose from a list of bare essentials that are taken for granted until a family does not have them.

If none of these non-profit organizations interest you, there are still plenty of others. Here are some honourable mentions that might better suit the person on your list.

Humane Society International and EcoJustice.ca provide links to donate to their whole organization. They both provide assistance to animals, animal habitats and the environment.

If you would prefer to give the gift of your time this Christmas, volunteer to help at the United Way, Egadz, the Lighthouse or the Food Bank. Take a friend and double your efforts.

Have a favorite non-profit organization that makes a difference in the world? Check out what gift-giving ideas they have this Christmas and give a gift that shows the true meaning of the holiday season: giving back.

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Illustration: Samantha Braun/The Sheaf