Give Back This Christmas With These Charity Gift Ideas
For many, Christmas isn’t a happy time. Gifts aren’t given, memories aren’t made, and with the cost of living crisis, it’s going to be even harder for many to celebrate. There are ways we can all do our bit to help spread the joy through donation banks, gifting presents and volunteering over the festive season.
If you’re wondering which charity to donate to or how you can do your bit, we’ve rounded up a few charity gift ideas you can take part in.
12 Charity Gift Ideas For Christmas
Oxfam Unwrapped
Oxfam is renowned for its life-changing work helping to fight global poverty. With global hunger on the rise, gift a family something that will really help make a difference. Choose from their selection of e-cards and truly make someone in need’s day, from providing safe drinking water to a family of four to supporting equality for women around the world to even gifting a loved one a pile of manure to help a community in poverty grow more food to eat and sell with effective, eco-friendly composting.
Kids Out
Kids Out, the charity that gives disadvantaged children positive experiences to support them in becoming future members of our society and workforce, is determined to make Christmas magical for all children this winter, by providing a gift and delivering it to a child in refuge.
Help Kids Out do this by donating via their Giving Tree. They’ve created an online shop where you can choose and donate a present to a child in need, from book tokens to footballs, stationery sets to dolls.
BookTrust
BookTrust is the UK’s largest children’s reading charity, offering support, resources and books to 3.9 million children across the UK every year. This year they’re asking for £10 donations from the public so that they can send a book gift to a vulnerable child to add a sparkle to their Christmas morning. Or, gift £50 and send five book parcels.
Crisis
Crisis is a UK charity helping to tackle and fight against homelessness. With homeless on the rise, this Christmas the charity is asking for donations of £29.73 to help give someone a Crisis Christmas. Your small donation could help buy essential food, a place to stay over Christmas, year-round support and training, and friendship and support from volunteer befrienders.
Secret Santa with Action for Children
The dreaded work Secret Santa’s have really taken the fun out of them for most, but for some, it can mean the whole world. Action for Children is asking the public to take action and become a Secret Santa for a vulnerable child in need.
Action for Children’s research shows and website states that “more than four million children in the UK were locked in poverty. That’s the equivalent of nine children in every school class of 30.” This Christmas why not help children and young people have a hot meal, present or safe place to sleep by donating to the Action for Children’s Secret Santa campaign.
Compassion UK
Compassion UK is running a Christmas campaign aimed at spreading a little joy.
With Compassion UK you’re able to sponsor a child in need and help give make a small difference, from sending gifts to greetings cards.
Send a greeting to your sponsored child or give a gift to help bring Christmas to those children living in poverty.
ActionAid
ActionAid, the charity that works with women and girls living in poverty, is running a Christmas campaign centred around education. Around the world, 129 million girls are out of school. Small donations of just £3 a month are encouraged.
For just £3 a month, you could help provide first-aid items like medicine and bandages for women at a shelter. For £7 a month, this could provide shelter for a woman who has survived domestic violence. For £10 a month, you could support women in the fight against climate change.
Salvation Army
Be a star this Christmas and help fundraise with the Salvation Army. You can order your free pack that’s packed with loads of really fun and great ways you can help spread some joy over the festive season, including carolling with The Salvation Army to setting up a JustGiving page.
For those wanting to help gift a present to a child who would otherwise not receive one on Christmas Day look to the Salvation Army’s Present Appeal. This December, many of the Salvation Army churches and centres across the UK are accepting donations of new, unwrapped toys and gifts for children. These gifts will then be wrapped and distributed to a child in need. Check online to see if your local church or centre is accepting gifts right now. Last year along the charity distributed more than 76,000 gifts.
British Red Cross
Renowned for their humanitarian support for individuals in the UK and around the world, the British Red Cross has several ways you can help out this winter.
You can help donate to specific countries, including supporting people affected by the humanitarian crisis in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Or, you can help in providing support for the charity’s Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal, Morocco Earthquake Appeal, Afghanistan Crisis Appeal and many more.
Unicef
Unicef provides life-changing assistance for children and young people every day, across the globe. The charity works in over 190 countries and territories helping more than ever to save children’s lives, defend their rights and help them fulfil their potential.
Donations are accepted monthly or on a singular basis. For a one-time donation of £25, you could help more than 22 pregnant women with HIV tests to help protect their babies or for £7 a month, you could provide life-saving rehydration salts for 23 children. Right now, the charity is calling for donations to help with humanitarian assistance and protection in Gaza. Every donation, no matter the size, will help Unicef continue helping children and young people.
Age UK
Christmas can be an incredibly lonely time for many. It’s estimated that around 1.5 million older people feel lonely at Christmas, but Age UK are determined to help as many as possible, but they need the public’s support.
From volunteering to telephone friendship support to simply donating, your support could help make someone’s Christmas special. This one isn’t so much a gift, but a way to help support our elder generation during this trying year.
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Kids for Kids
Kids for Kids is a charity that’s fighting for better living conditions for both humans and animals, from clean water to medical care.
This Christmas there are many ways you can help out, including joining them in helping to donate goats. Goat’s milk can stop children from being malnourished and mothers can sell on surplus milk and yoghurt at markets to help support their families.