Imagine the looks on your friend’s faces when they open the box under the tree and out fly a brand new hive of bees!
OK, that is probably not a great way to give bees, but thanks to my sister-in-law Dawn’s gift to Michelle and I, we now know that there is a great way to do it: Heifer International. Following the old “give a man a fish…” adage, Heifer donates livestock and seeds to poor people in third world countries (and teach them to care for them) so that they can become self-sustaining. Even better, recipients of the gift must agree to pass along some of the offspring of their gift to others in need, so the goodness multiplies.
For a mere $30, you can give the gift of bees. Do it!
P.S. I always check out charities on Charity Navigator before giving to make sure the money is actually going to programs, not just fundraising and salaries. Heifer looks decent, with 75% of funds going to programs. Not as good as Room to Read, for example (87%), but pretty similar to OxFam (79%).
