Instead of sending pricey flowers to Mom this Mother’s Day – that fade within a week – what if you could give a life-changing gift in her name? And imagine that gift could help another Mom in a difficult part of the world overcome poverty.
It’s Made Possible by the FH Gift Catalog
Here’s how it works: Your mom receives a card announcing your gift in her name – along with a description and what it will mean to the mother halfway around the world who receives it. This very different and inspiring type of gift giving is made possible by the Food for the Hungry (FH) Gift Catalog. You’ll be amazed by the variety and learn that shopping is much more fun. And your dollars go exponentially farther!
The FH Gift Catalog is gift-giving genius to create a Mother’s Day that matters. And your Mom will love just how creative and generous you are! It also works for birthdays, Father’s Day, and other gift-giving occasions.
A group of nine grade-school children in Southgate, Michigan, wanted to turn a holiday – Christmas – into a true season of giving. Their idea of giving poverty-ending presents from the FH Gift Catalog started with a Sunday School lesson last summer.
An Adventure in Giving Back
Megan Frump teaches the children, ages 7 to 12, at her small home church in Southgate. Her lesson that week was on tithing and giving back from what you have. It definitely inspired her students!
They discussed how they could raise money to accomplish more, and they decided to solicit odd jobs around their homes and in the neighborhood so they could give back with what they earned. First they talked to their parents; then they started knocking on doors.
What started small grew quickly. Lawns were mowed, snow was shoveled, and pet waste was scooped. They also asked permission from their grandparents to share a portion of the gifts they had received from them during the year.
FH Gift Catalog Offers Many Choices
The kids knew that the FH Gift Catalog was the best way to make their money go farthest. They found shopping together for items in the catalog to be both fun and inspiring.
“With what they initially raised, they were able to purchase small livestock including chickens and ducks, and a home garden to provide a family in need with vegetables. As they raised more funds, they were even able to buy a family a chicken-of-the-month subscription,” Megan said. “They also chose to buy a water tank to provide safe and accessible water for an entire village!”
Megan explained that her students enjoy learning about the sustainability that FH emphasizes. They recognize that these things are truly gifts of hope, resilience, and independence, she says.
Sharing About the FH Gift Catalog
As they do the chores for friends and neighbors, the students enjoy telling people about the work FH is doing. They also share about the items they plan to give from the catalog, Megan explained.
“One of their favorite selections was the gift of a fish farm. They explain to their supporters that it becomes a family’s heritage.” Proceeds from the fish farm allow the parents to feed their family and earn an ongoing income. Eventually, when the children grow up, they can also work with the fish farm to support themselves.
Another favorite, Megan said, was their purchase of deworming medicine for 500 children. “They were amazed and concerned to learn that children in other parts of the world suffer with this debilitating condition. They were so excited to be able to help,” Megan said.
Ambitious Goals
By September, the nine grade school-aged children had raised $1,434 for FH Gift Catalog purchases. At that time, Megan reported they were hoping to boost that number close to $2,000 by the end of the year.
But an update from her in early November indicated that goal had been blown out of the water.
“They decided to hold a “runathon” and collect pledges,” Megan explained. “They’ve already completed the event, and it went extremely well. They raised $2,000 in one day!”
Moving the Bar
With that amazing outcome, the kids increased their already lofty ambitions. They hoped to boost their total raised for FH Gift Catalog giving to $4,000.
When the last progress report came in, Megan Frump’s Sunday School class had completed their collections. The nine kids exceeded $4,500 for their fundraising for Christmas 2022 and have given gifts totaling that amount from the FH Gift Catalog!
Give a gift in honor of Mom today!
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