Heifer.Org and Bees and Trees and Ducks and Geese and Llamas and and and

A Midwestern farmer named Dan West was ladling out rations of milk to hungry children during the Spanish Civil War when it hit him.

“These children don’t need a cup, they need a cow.”

West, who was serving as a Church of the Brethren relief worker, was forced to decide who would receive the limited rations and who would’t – literally, who would live and who would die. This kind of aid, he knew, would never be enough.

So West returned home to form Heifers for Relief, dedicated to ending hunger permanently by providing families with livestock and training so that they “could be spared the indignity of depending on others to feed their children.”

Heifer.Org
So are the words found on the Heifer.Org site. Here is how this amazing charity works.

You can buy a cow, or an ox or a hive of bees or a flock of ducks, or a pig, or geese, or a water buffalo, or any number of animals. Some gifts are as low as $20.

Let's say you bought a sheep. Heifer.Org would send it to a qualifying family in dire need, with the following provisions -- that they would allow Heifer.Org to teach them how to care for the animal, and that when the animal had its first child, that child would be given by the owner to some other needy family in the village, along with instructions about its care -- and the same deal -- pass on the first offspring.

In the meantime, the sheep provides wool, milk, and fertilizer. And the family, once struggling to survive, is now in business and helping others.

Many of you may have heard of Heifer.Org -- for some it will be news. It is a great way for families to teach giving to their children, and a great project for a church. I even gave animals away as business gifts one year to people who already had all the business gifts they could ever use.

I am sure that you all give something somewhere. I just love the ideas behind this charity, and I welcome replies from you about other charities you feel really "hit the mark" when it comes to meaningful actions.

So maybe you have a list of charities that you are happy with...Great! But, ...if you are looking for a charity to warm your heart, this might be one to think about. There are so many. I just wanted to hold this one up. Enjoy giving wherever and whenever you do. And please tell me what charities make you feel the best .....