Gifts for good causes: 5 ideas for holiday giving

Like many people at this time of year, you may be looking for charity gift ideas that make a difference, spread wellbeing and contribute to a better world.

Whether you wish to donate and help someone in need, or you’re hoping to purchase a meaningful item where the proceeds give back to the community, our charity gift guide has you covered.

1. Gift a Survival Kit

If you want to spread your generosity to the most vulnerable people in Canada or around the world, consider donating a Survival Kit for people in need. Just choose how much you'd like to donate and we'll build a Survival Kit for urgent needs. Your donation will go where it’s needed most, such as towards food and clean water for a family abroad, a newborn health and comfort pack, or medical equipment for an emergency field hospital.

2. Share a gift of preparedness

You could also gift a Disaster Preparedness Kit (two and four person), suited to help loved ones in case of a natural disaster such as a hurricane, flood or tornado. Have someone in your life who drives a lot?  The Winter Roadside Kit is a go-to companion for the car. Equipped with booster cables, high visibility vest, heavy-duty traction mat, collapsible snow shovel, a first aid kit and more, it will give anyone peace of mind for long journeys. 
 

3. Gift yourself or a loved one lifesaving skills

First aid training may be the most useful gift of all. Our partners offer various types of Red Cross first aid courses, such as Standard First Aid & CPR and Psychological First Aid. Just search for a course in the location and date range of your choice and register directly with the training partner offering the course.

4. Gift a healthful stocking stuffer

With this Red Cross Hand Sanitizer, you’ll be gifting a super useful, premium Canadian-made product. This is a quick-drying, non-sticky and unscented gel-based sanitizer. With the pump-top nozzle, it’s perfectly suited for home or office environments.

Have a parent friend or family member in mind? Kids are prone to chills and fevers, so consider gifting a little more peace of mind with a very useful Infrared Forehead Thermometer, which has an accuracy of +/- 0.2°C.

5. Help someone recover after a hurricane

Consider giving a donation to help people affected by Hurricane Eta, which has caused heavy rains, floods and landslides across Central America and the Caribbean. The Red Cross is helping individuals in impacted areas, including Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala. Your donation today can help support evacuation and rescue services, shelter, pre-hospital care, psychological support, needs assessments and information dissemination. It’s a great gift for a brighter end to the year.

Any of these gifts will make a lasting impact. If you want to continue to give back to your community, consider volunteering with us. Have a safe and happy holiday season!

PS. Couriers have been incredibly busy this year, so we suggest ordering gift items by December 10 at the latest to have items before December 24.