Pass on the gift month

I Love Heifer

One of my passions is Heifer International.  I first learned of the the organization through a gift market at my church.  It was a tight year for us, I had just left my law firm job and only had a few clients.  But, when I heard the story of Heifer, I asked my husband to give me a pig for Christmas, just a pig that would be delivered to a family in need.  Now we give to Heifer regularly.  I tell my children how much we can spend, then we pull up the website and shop for animals.  Sometimes we tie it into what we’re doing, since my sister is a missionary in Peru we always buy lamas for Peruvians.  Keith’s honor thesis in college was on Tibet, so we love to support the projects in that area.

Remember to Share

Heifer International is built on the premise of sharing.  Heifer works with villages in underdeveloped countries and trains families, frequently women, in animal husbandry then gives them animals to raise.  A goat that provides milk, or a flock of chicks that lay eggs, or a hive of bees that make honey can change a family’s life.  These products give nourishment and a new source of money through the sale of the excess milk, eggs or honey.  

Families are transformed, yet the beauty doesn’t stop there.  One requirement to receiving an animal is that the gift must be passed on in the form of an offspring given to a neighbor.  Families and villages gather together in “pass-the-gift” ceremonies to physically transfer an offspring from their arms to the arms of another.  These ceremonies occur all over the world, most touchingly among former enemies.  Villages that used to exchange gunfire in the former Yugoslavia now share livestock. 

You Look, We’ll Pay

Heifer declared April “Pass-on-the-Gift” Month and thousands of people across the nation are having house dinners, sales, book groups and events to share what Heifer is doing and raising funds for animals.  Traveling Mamas, Type-A Mom and Bookstore People are joining in!  We’re donating a dollar per  commenters on a Heifer post on each of our three blogs during the month of April with a total cap of $1,500 (we don’t think we would qualify for TARP money if we ended up needing to donate our life savings).  We’re all posting today and then there could be a few other posts through out the month.  Watch for our giveaway of autographed copies of Beatrice’s Goat by Page McBrier during the second half of April. 

We’re sharing our money; you just need to share a little of your time.  Leave a comment on this post, then look at the Heifer information on Traveling Mamas and  Type-A Mom and leave a comment on their posts.  Make sure we hit our $1,500 goal.  Even better, check out the Heifer website and the stories of transformed families and communities, then plan your own “Pass-the-Gift” activity.