"Charity Begins Next Door"
Should we send money to charities when our own neighbors need our help? Or should our kindness and generosity begin next door?
Your friends or neighbors who are facing financial hardship may not be able to tell you how bad it is. You want to help, but don't know what to offer without offending. Here is a checklist of practical gift ideas that actual people who were homeless, or were about to be, asked us to relay to you.
Two ways to use this booklet:
1. Give it to someone who will give it back to you with boxes checked of what would help them.
2. Check off boxes of what you need when someone offers to give you what you need.
Crisis Gifts: An intelligent checklist for helping Friends, Neighbors, Co-workers and Family
Who Are Facing Financial Hardship and Homelessness, and Finding it Difficult Asking for Help
ORDER THIS BOOKLET IF YOU TRULY WANT TO HELP PEOPLE... IN LARGE QUANTITY.
1. You'll have a better grasp of what reality is like for people in financial crisis.
2. You'll make a connection – heart to heart – with real people who need your help... not some nameless, faceless entity to which you write a check.
You can even provide a copy of this booklet to someone you know and ask them to check off the boxes next to all the items they would love to receive... much like a bridal registry. Then find ways to honor the requests. You'll be astonished to see how basic many of the requests are.
This booklet lists specific ideas for what to give and what NOT to give. Many of the charitable gifts *we* think are good, really are NOT.
Two respondents received notices from friends that a financial donation had been made in their name to a food bank or soup kitchen... when the recipients had no food! That donation would have been better spent on groceries for them.
Contents
• How to recognize that someone you know may be on the brink of destitution... and in need of your help,
• What you need to understand about poverty,
• What you must avoid giving that will only insult or offend,
• Gift items appreciated by adults,
• Gift items appreciated by kids,
• Gift items appreciated by seniors,
• Acts of generosity you can perform.
• Services appreciated by families,
• Services appreciated by single adults,
• Services appreciates by seniors,
• Tips to make your gift giving truly shame/guilt-free for the recipient.
How YOU can utilize this booklet:
Demonstrate your gratitude for the abundance in your life by sharing with others in your life or neighborhood not so fortunate:
1. In lieu of Holiday Greeting cards, distribute Crisis Gifts booklets among your employees, customers, clients, and suppliers to encourage their generosity to their impoverished neighbors.
2. Use Crisis Gifts as a fund raiser in your congregation to distribute to those neighbors in need. The proceeds you collect from selling the Crisis Gifts booklets can be used to purchase gifts to fill those requests indicated.
3. In lieu of your company's annual office Christmas party, distribute Crisis Gifts booklets to a shelter, mission, fire station, armed forces, low income neighborhood, prison... with the intention of fulfilling the wish lists created by the checked off boxes in the booklets. The booklets will be returned to you with an indication of each person's needs. Supply your gifts before the holidays.
We can imprint the booklets or label with your organization's name, address, phone number and web site address. Minimum order is 1,000 for custom imprinting.
Crisis Gifts: An intelligent checklist for helping Friends, Neighbors, Co-workers and Family Who Are Facing Financial Hardship and Homelessness, and Finding it Difficult Asking for Help
Request a quote for quantity orders of print booklets:
Please ask for a price estimate. We can customize with your company logo and information.
Please tell Andrea the name of your newspaper, city and state/province and she will send the editor an article about Crisis Gifts: Much Needed Gifts For Anyone Facing Financial Crisis for publication. crisiswriter@gmail.com
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