insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 22 - December 2016 | Page 125

CHARITY

give
SOMETHING DIFFERENT
We all know at least one person (and probably more than one) who is difficult – or
even impossible – to buy for at Christmas. No matter what ideas we come up with,
the gift just isn’t right. They either have it already, it wouldn’t really work for them,
or you’re just not convinced they really would like it. So, you’re stuck with a dilemma:
what to buy the person who has everything, needs nothing, and can’t think of
a single useful answer when you ask them what they want?

Maybe the answer this year is not to buy them
anything. Or at least, not anything that’s actually
for them.

to unwrap shaking their heads and wondering
what to do next, why not change your answer?
Why not ask for a charity gift this Christmas? It
is, after all, the season of goodwill.

Maybe the answer this year is to think about the
true spirit of Christmas, the season of goodwill,
and spend our money on a gift for someone who
really, truly needs it.

Take a look at these fantastic charities and their
alternative ways to give at the most wonderful
time of the year.

Maybe the answer this year is to buy the gift
of charity.

Unicef
www.unicef.org.uk

Not only does a gift like this give something back
to the charity itself, but it is also something for
your friends and family to enjoy, to give them an
insight into a cause that is close to your heart,
and in some cases it is something that will actually
help someone a lot further away from home in
a much more literal way. It’s not about the amount
of money you give to charity; it’s about the
thought that goes into it, and the amazing results
that are able to happen because you have.

With Unicef there are dozens of different charity
gifts you can choose from, and each one, from
the bicycle that means a little girl can now get
to school, to the bowl of porridge given to a
starving child, makes a huge impact on the lives
of children. Once you have chosen your gift, you
can create a personalised card or e-greeting to
give to the recipient so that they know exactly
what you’ve bought, and who it’s helping. There
is even a ‘most needed’ section, making your
decision that much easier.

And if you are the person who, whenever they
are asked what they want for Christmas, always
shrugs and says that you don’t want anything
because you don’t need anything, leaving those
who are trying to find something perfect for you

Gifts include:
Emergency shelter kit for a family: £25
Measles vaccines for 50 children: £25
Life-saving milk for malnourished children: £15
5,000 water purification tablets: £18

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Centrepoint
www.centrepoint.org.uk
Helping the homeless is something that
Centrepoint has been doing for decades. They
work on housing, education, support, health,
and moving on once it is time to leave the hostel
and make a fresh start. This is how those who
are young and homeless – those who are just
like our own children but for a quirk of fate or
loss of family or one poor decision – can find
hope once more.
Centrepoint provides a safe place to live for more
than 7,800 young people, aged 16-25, every
year in London and the North East of England,
but they need donations and help to do even
more.
Gifts include:
Christmas dinner: £10
Health check: £20
A starter box: £40
A new baby box: £50