My 5 Favorite Gift Ideas that Help Sanctuaries and Animal Organizations

It's that time of year again - time to start buying holiday gifts for our loved ones (and even our not so loved ones). I love buying gifts that give back to the organizations and to the animals.

Tom and I have a tradition that at least one of our Chanukah gifts to each other is a donation to the charity of our choosing. It's a tough decision because there are so many worthy causes out there and we try to choose different causes each year but we have to admit that we do have some favorites:

Petfinder.com - because that's where we found our Benny

Animal Lovers League - the no-kill shelter in Long Island that rescued Benny from a kill-pound right before he was to be euthanized because his week was up.

PetLoss.com - a 24/7 grief support site that literally saved me when I lost my Poochie.

I thought I would present a list of my 5 favorite gift ideas that help animal sanctuaries and animal organizations. Of course, it is hard to narrow the list down to just 5; there are so many worthy organizations. But these are my favorites:

1. A list of my favorite things has to start with my absolutely favorite place in the whole world: Woodstock Animal Farm Sanctuary. For me, this is a magical place filled with precious souls – the rescued animals and the people who care for them.

There are lots of great gift ideas at Woodstock Sanctuary. You can sponsor a rescued farm animal and cover the costs of feeding, shelter and care for 1 year. The lucky recipient gets a beautiful, personalized photo card of the animal you select, including a description of that animal’s rescue story and personality, plus an optional personalized note from you! The recipient also gets full membership to the farm and special privileges to visit their animal any time of year. I sponsor Beatrice, a rescued turkey.

The Woodstock Sanctuary calendar is also a great gift featuring 13 months of the sanctuary's rescued animals. The shop also sells t-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies (I think I have one of each), books, art, and a gift certificate in case you're not sure which wonderful item to buy.

And until the end of 2011 a super-generous anonymous donor is matching all donations dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000 so this is the perfect time to make a donation to the sanctuary which you can make in honor or in memory of someone.

2. Mercy For Animals is offering "Peace for All" holiday cards. For just $10, you get a box of 12 cards featuring an adorable calf standing alongside his watchful mother. The back of the card contains a brief description of MFA’s vital work and how to make a tax-deductible gift. The inside is blank for you to write your own personal message.

Mercy For Animals also sells t-shirts, tote bags, bumper stickers, videos and more in their store.

3. Another favorite place of mine is The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. Here you can sponsor one of the elephants (did you know it costs $30 a day to feed one elephant?), buy clothing, calendars, tote bags, videos, mugs and so much more.

Shirley is my favorite elephant but there are individual items showcasing each of the girls and a special gift shop featuring Tarra and her best friend, Bella, the sanctuary's dog who just passed away.

4. The Animal Rescue Site has tons of great gifts for animal lovers and each item you buy funds at least 14 bowls of food for shelter animals in need. Or don't buy anything; you can just go to the site each day and click on a button to help feed shelter animals absolutely free.

5. Got a sweet tooth? Rescue Chocolates, founded by Sarah Gross, is “the sweetest way to save a life!” From each chocolate purchased, 100% of the net profits are donated to animal rescue organizations around the country. They offer giftable collections of dairy-free, vegan, kosher/parve, and lovingly handcrafted chocolates starting at just $25.


But if you really want to go all out, The 12 Night of Christmas gift box ($150)contains: Peanut Butter Pit Bull chocolate bar, Wild At Heart (6-heart box), The Fix chocolate bar, Mission Feral Fig chocolate bar, Bow Wow Bon Bons, a T-shirt, Shelter Dogs coffee table book autographed by the author, a Found Leash, Pick Me Pepper chocolate bar, Fakin' Bacon chocolate bar, $25 Gift certificate for future purchases and a Foster-iffic Peppermint chocolate bar.

You can also purchase individual chocolate bars, t-shirts, the Shelter Dog coffee table book and gift certificates from Rescue Chocolates.

Well, these are my Top 5 Favorites. What are your favorite gifts that help animal sanctuaries and organizations? Please feel free to share your favorites with links in the comments section!

The "V" Word: Say it. Eat it. Live it.