What do you get that special person who has everything for Christmas or Hanukkah? Does a new scarf or sweater enter your mind? Chances are the ones you hold most dear aren’t wishing for more “stuff”. This holiday season, we are exercising the power of giving. A gift can have the potential to change someone’s health or life forever. Below, we highlighted 4 of our favorite ways to give, aimed at elevating the health and life of those who have much less. Let us help you re-imagine the true meaning of these holidays with our 2016 Giving Guide!

Charity Water: Clean water. It’s one of the most basic needs of life itself. But how many people in this world live without this most basic resource? Imagine the entire population of the United States x2! Unclean water, and the plethora of diseases cultivated from it, is said to kill more people than all forms of violence annually worldwide. This single statistic is what drives Charity Water. They assist communities throughout Africa, Asia, and Central and South America in gaining access to this simple, but vital, resource by helping them to establish clean water supplies throughout their communities. Charity water prides themselves on being 100% transparent where all donations go directly to the field instead of organization costs. Learn more here.

We donate regularly through our Amazon purchases by linking our purchases to Charity Water through Amazon Smile.

Heifer International: The gift of a goat isn’t just the preferred Greek wedding dowry any longer. Today, you can give the gift of a goat, water buffalo, honey bees, an alpaca, (or more!) to help communities in need throughout Africa, Asia, and the Americas. “Heifer links communities and helps bring sustainable agriculture and commerce to areas with a long history of poverty. [Their] animals provide partners with both food and reliable income, as agricultural products such as milk, eggs and honey can be traded or sold at market.” Learn more here.

Watch their video here.

Cradles to Crayons: As your kids receive more clothes and gifts from relatives this year, there are children out there who would love the neglected clothes, toys, and games sitting deep inside your closets with the price tags still attached. Cradles to Crayons actively collects and distributes new or like new clothing, school supplies, and toys to give underprivileged kids a head start and has the potential to send ripples of hope and optimism throughout their lives. With locations in Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia (and pickup locations throughout these greater metro areas) donating to this remarkable organization is easy. Learn more here.

Gift Cards for Homeless: We’ve all been approached by homeless individuals here in Boston asking for help. Depending on their timing and where our mind was at that moment, we either didn’t notice them, stopped and opened up our pocket, or walked past with a bit of guilt. Coming back from a recent trip to Chicago and seeing shanty villages under the expressway in the 20 degree freeze, I thought to myself, “I have a couple of millimeters of free space in my wallet! Why not always keep a small gift card to a local restaurant or coffee shop to give to them?” A simple idea, with a big impact.

Want to directly impact the life of someone special to you? Our current practice members can still purchase the 2016 Gift of Health for a limited time only! Get them started on the road to health this new year!

Not a practice member? Find out about how we may be able to help you by visiting our website.