Shopping With a Purpose

Do you drink coffee? Wear shoes? Wear t-shirts? Send cards or give gifts?

No matter what you spend your money on, chances are there are options for some of those purchases that would help provide for orphans and those in poverty. Here is just a beginning of a list. I intend to continue compiling lists from time to time so if you know of an organization I miss or want me to find one for something specific let me know!

Coffee

I am a coffee-lover through and through. There are several companies who sell high quality coffees, usually organic, fair-trade, whole bean or ground. Just Love Coffee Roasters has a wonderful variety of coffees as gifts that goes towards helping orphans in Ethiopia including a school for older orphans. Additionally, for families trying to raise funds to adopt, they can get their own fundraising page with their own URL which they can post on their blog, share with friend, etc. Pretty cool.

T-Shirts

There are some beautiful t-shirts out there that help fund families working towards adoption or organizations that help support orphans and those in extreme poverty.

Love Is Waiting - Love the silver t-shirt

Feeding the Orphans - "Help us raise awareness of the plight of the children of the world AND feed a child at the same time. 100% of the profit will go to benefit the children of Africa."

Gifts and other Fabulous Items

I wish I knew about these before Christmas so I guess I will just have to buy these beautiful items for myself!

Toms Shoes - "With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One." Simple and brilliant. As of September 2010 a million shoes have been given to children in need. It sounds simple to those who have never been without shoes, but shoes can change a child's life - no exaggeration. Check out their website and Facebook page for more.

Empower Orphans - cards and wine charms, super cute!

Bajalia Trading Company - one of my favorites. Amazing items from around the world, empowering the artisans and helping create sustainable change in their communities. Great prices too!

Another idea is to talk with people you know who have a home based business and see if they would be willing to offer a fundraising campaign where they would donate a portion of their proceeds to a charity or organization that is helping to protect and provide for children. It is a win-win situation if you think about it!

So do some research and see how you can help the millions of orphans and those living in poverty in your every-day living and spending.