While corporate America has overcome all hesitation about pushing the limits
of consumer patience in this regard, Thanksgiving marks some sort of official
starting point for the holiday season. And with it comes the question: What makes
a good present?
I am not in the camp that would sap the season of all festivity by promoting
a "no presents" principle. But I do recognize that an awful lot of what
is given may fall into that forced category that ends up occupying the back of
closets or the bottom of drawers until, mercifully, preparations for a move require
the donation of said "gift" to an appropriate charity.
It is with this understanding in mind that I dare to suggest that - in addition
to the cool and colorful gifting that this column wholeheartedly encourages -
readers might consider a leap up the charity food chain. Instead of a gift that
will eventually become a donation to the Goodwill folks, how about skipping over
the long, slow process that leads to the donation and simply contribute in the
name of the beloved - or perhaps merely tolerated - recipient.
Most people have a favorite charity, be it a church, a school or the exceptionally
noble American Red Cross (despite the unfortunate Elizabeth Dole connection of
some years back). There is much to be said for donating money in someone's
name to a group they already support. But I prefer using gift donations as a way
of introducing people to new ways of giving.
Here are a few examples:
If you want to give a gift that gets the recipient in on the ground floor of
a movement that will be vital to debates over food safety in the decade to come,
consider Genetically Engineered Food Alert!
This is a great organization that is in the thick of the research, activism
and lobbying fights to prevent corporate agribusiness from changing the genetic
makeup of not just the food in their pharmaceutical test plots but the food crops
that are contaminated by their experiments. You can learn more about the group
and how to support it on the Web at www.gefoodalert.org
or by writing GE Food Alert, 3435 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 385, Los Angeles, CA 90010.
Here in the Midwest, the Organic Consumers Association (www.purefood.org
or 218-226-4164) is another great group that maintains close ties with Madison
activist John Stauber's Center for Media and Democracy (donate to it online
at www.prwatch.org).
For 20 years the Wisconsin Community Fund has provided funding for groups working
in Wisconsin to achieve social and economic justice. The organization has supported
everything from progressive farm activism to women's rights, and its track
record for identifying new groups that are having an impact is particularly impressive.
To learn about all the organizations the fund supports, and about its innovative
alternatives for giving, visit its Web site at www.wisconsincommunityfund.org,
call 251-6834 or visit its office at 1202 Williamson St., Suite D. (That office,
by the way, is located in the Madison Social Justice Center facility, a great
local project that houses many activist groups. You can donate to the center online
at www.socialjusticecenter.org.)
The American Friends Service Committee's Peace Fund. If you're looking
for a savvy, effective and consistent advocate for peace, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning
AFSC is a good choice.
The organization's activities range from the political to the humanitarian,
and it is a major partner in the Campaign of Conscience, a joint endeavor with
the Fellowship of Reconciliation and Pax-Christi USA to provide life-saving aid
to Iraqi communities that have suffered as a result of economic sanctions against
that country.
You can learn more about how to support the AFSC's peace work and how
to give a gift donation on the Web at www.afsc.org/iraq/
or by calling (888) 588-2372.
Locally, the Madison Area Peace Council also deserves support. You can learn
about this ambitious and effective group at www.madpeace.org/
or by calling 835-7501.
Copyright 2002 The Capital Times
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