news-record.com

Please answer the following questions honestly.

When you think of your Christmas shopping list, do you feel anxious?
Is your gift-giving budget tighter this year than last?

Does your child’s teacher really need another coffee mug labeled “World’s Best Teacher”?

I suspect I know your answers. All too often, anxiety about the gift-procuring process weighs us down during what we want to be a joyful holiday season.

I’m not against gift giving — far from it. I want to propose to you, however, a way to make your gift shopping much less stressful, much more joyful and much more meaningful.

For the folks you want to remember with a gift, consider an alternative — an alternative gift that is.

Alternative gifts are charitable gifts given in honor of your friends and relatives. Instead of giving another scarf or set of reindeer coasters, make a meaningful donation in their honor and give them a card explaining what you’ve done.

You may have heard of these gifts through organizations such as the Heifer Project. What I propose is the local equivalent — and we have lots of options.

I learned firsthand about alternative gifts when a group of us started such a project at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church in 2006. Each Christmas season we sell gifts such as a bagged lunch ($5) for a homeless person through Open Door Ministries and shelter for a night at Leslie’s House ($20).

Our project, “Gifts That Transform Our World,” features more than 30 items on our shopping list and has raised more than $88,000 for local and global missions in which our church is directly involved.
How does this work? You browse through our shopping list and buy gifts. We supply you with a greeting card and a description of the gift to give your friend or loved one.

And we are just one of many local organizations with whom you can shop.

Just look at The Community Foundation of High Point. This group’s sole purpose is collecting and distributing gifts to enhance life in and around High Point.

The Community Foundation has two new funds that may be just what you’re looking for to honor your neighbors and friends.

First, there’s the Heart of High Point Fund which was created to make sure that local folks always have a resource to turn to in times of need. Gifts to this fund will en sure that local people going through tough times have one more place to turn for help.

“So many of the safety nets that once served the basic needs of the poor are gone,” said Paul Lessard, president of the Community Foundation of High Point. “This fund will help people on the ground level.”

Now, wouldn’t a donation to this fund be the perfect gift for your neighbors?

Then there’s the Principal’s Fund.

“This supports our local principals who for years have been taking money out of their own pocket in order to take care of the many things students can’t afford,” Lessard said. “We have a lot of Title I kids who can’t afford school uniforms or to go on field trips.”
Instead of buying another one of those “World’s Best Teacher” mugs, consider a donation to the Principal’s Fund. Rest assured, gifts of any amount — $5 or $5 million — are welcome.

High Point Regional Health System’s Endowment is another great place to shop. It has a “Healthy Giving” catalog, and gifts range from $25 to several thousand dollars. It just depends on what you want to spend.

For your Christmas shopping, check out the Ginger Mitchell Fund. Established in memory of one of its nurses, this fund helps emergency department patients purchase essential medications such as antibiotics, insulin and blood pressure medication when they can’t afford to buy the medications themselves. The suggested gift is $25.

“Healthy Giving” options include the Pink Ribbon Campaign, which includes a comfort bag of gifts to meet the personal needs of a breast cancer patient, developmental toys for Rehabilitation Services and scholarships for the hospital’s nurses, said Courtney Best, High Point Regional’s director of development. Don’t you know someone who would deeply appreciate a gift to one of these causes?

Your gifts through the endowment do not have to be limited to those listed in its catalog. Just call and talk with Best about what you’d like to do.

Are you getting inspiration for those hard-to-shop-for folks on your list? More importantly, do you feel better about gift giving? Not only is this a simpler way to shop, it’s much more meaningful. There’s never a worry that your money — or your gift — will be wasted.

I encourage you to be creative and check around for more options. Your son’s Cub Scout leader? Why not make a donation to the Boy Scouts? How about your sister-in-law who volunteers at her neighborhood food pantry? Aha. Now, you’re getting the idea.
Now, go out and tackle that gift list and save time to savor the season.

Contact Cathy Weaver at CWeaverNR@gmail.com