Episcopal Relief & Development 75th Anniversary Gift Package Highlight of Holiday Giving

Episcopal Relief & Development Web StatementOctober 15, 2015

The 75th Anniversary Gift Package is the highlight of this year’s holiday giving season from Gifts for Life, Episcopal Relief & Development’s alternative giving catalog.  As the organization celebrates 75 years of healing a hurting world, congregations, families, groups and individuals are invited to give a gift with lasting impact, providing basics for life to strengthen communities around the globe.

With gifts that have proven to form the core building blocks of an entire community, the special anniversary gift package provides three care packages for moms and newborns, three gifts of clean water, three goats, reforestation of 100 trees and a micro-credit loan and training for a female entrepreneur.

Additionally, said Judy Sawler, Episcopal Relief & Development’s Senior Manager of Direct Response Marketing, “with our matching gift campaign in November and December, all Gifts for Life gifts you purchase in honor of family and friends this holiday season can have twice the impact, helping our partners to alleviate hunger, promote health, create economic opportunities and respond to disasters in the communities they serve.”

Episcopal Relief & Development’s Gifts for Life catalog, available online, in print and as a handy brochure for easy church or group use, features gifts from a $12 mosquito net that provides training and follow-up to prevent malaria, to a $5,000 village well that gives an entire community access to clean, safe water.  Gifts for Life gifts are fully tax-deductible, and are a wonderful way to support the organization’s life-giving work and share that impact with family and friends.

“Giving a gift through Gifts for Life is one way to share with our friends and loved ones the sentiments of Paul when he writes, ‘How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you?’ (1 Thess. 3:9)” said Sean McConnell, Episcopal Relief & Development’s Senior Director of Engagement.  “A gift from Gifts for Life is a gift of meaning for us, and a gift of meaningful change for those we serve.  Your gift of a chicken, a garden or a water tank won’t only lead to lasting change for an individual or family now, it can have an impact for generations to come.”

Episcopal Relief & Development’s Advent Toolkit provides helpful resources on how to plan an Advent campaign with Gifts for Life, including a downloadable Advent Calendar poster, an activity guide, bulletin inserts, ads and special stories and prayers.  Printed Gifts for Life catalogs and brochures, as well as prayer bookmarks and other materials, can be ordered from Episcopal Marketplace.

Another way to support Episcopal Relief & Development through holiday giving is with the organization’s new Fair Trade Partnership with Equal Exchange.  Equal Exchange offers fair trade, organic coffee, tea, chocolate and other products that benefit Episcopal Relief & Development (the organization receives 15 cents for each pound of product purchased) while benefiting smallholder farmers who grow their crops sustainably.  During the checkout process, select “Episcopal Relief” from the “Coffee Project or Denomination” drop-down menu in order to ensure that purchases count.

Please contact Episcopal Relief & Development at 1.855.312.HEAL (4325) or info@episcopalrelief.org with any questions about holiday giving opportunities that will create a lasting difference in nearly 40 countries worldwide.

Episcopal Relief & Development works with more than 3 million people in nearly 40 countries worldwide to overcome poverty, hunger and disease through multi-sector programs that utilize local resources and expertise. An independent 501(c)(3) organization, Episcopal Relief & Development works closely with Anglican Communion and ecumenical partners to help communities rebuild after disasters and develop long-term strategies to create a thriving future. In 2015, the organization joins Episcopalians and friends in celebrating 75 Years of Healing a Hurting World.