With Thanksgiving now less than two weeks away and Christmas not far behind, I need to continue on with my "gifts with meaning" posts. If you have missed these, I am making suggestions for holiday gifts to be given by adoptive parents (or given to adoptive parents!) that give back in some way to children in need. Links to the rest of these posts are at the bottom of this post.

Most of you know that I am the supplies and donations coordinator for AHOPE for Children and that our Belane and our Solomon are both from AHOPE.

There are several different holiday gift ideas that support AHOPE and the children AHOPE cares for.

The first option is that AHOPE now has it's own coffee brand thanks to the Vashon Roasterie. The Vashon Roasterie has developed a fair trade blend just for AHOPE for Children. Coffee beans come in one-pound bags with the AHOPE logo along with a card from AHOPE. The cost per pound is $12.95, of which $1.50 per bag will be donated by the Roasterie to AHOPE. To order coffee, contact the Roasterie at 206-463-9800 or order from their website to have coffee sent as a gift. (Please note that the coffee is not yet features on the website, but is available and should be added soon).


Another great gift idea is to donate to AHOPE in someone's name. It is the perfect gift for a person who has everything and needs nothing and whose heart would be touched by reaching out to a child who has nothing and needs everything.

For a minimum donation of $25.00 per person being honored, you can check off everyone on your holiday list. A special color card that has been created will be sent to announce your gift. The card is printed back and front on quality card stock, with envelope, and the announcement features a photo of AHOPE children on one side. On the reverse is space for a personal note and (of course) some brief information about AHOPE for Children.

For a minimum donation of $360.00, you may give a one-year sponsorship of a child at AHOPE Ethiopia. The sponsor you are honoring will receive the updated reports on the child as well as newsletters about events that affect the children of AHOPE Ethiopia.


If you are interested in where your money will go, here is a short part of the wish list at AHOPE this holiday season.

$50 - a traditional Ethiopian costume and holiday gifts for one child

$75 - a classroom blackboard and chalk

$100 - outfit one child for school, including uniforms, shoes, back pack, school supplies and gym clothing

$125 - a crib, mattress and bedding

$200 - a field trip for 20 children, including transportation, staff chaperones, entrance fees and snacks

$250 - pays a social worker, including benefits, for one month

$500 - provides new tires and auto repair for our hard-working vehicles

$1000 - pays a child care worker, including benefits, for one year.

$5,000 - provides office supplies and rent for community development project offices for about eight months.

$15,000 - pays the bills for the entire AHOPE program, both children’s homes and outreach, for about one month. This amount is a good goal for a group or fundraiser.

$60,000 - architect’s detailed plans, site preparation and other preliminary work for the building of AHOPE Children’s Village. For a breakdown of estimated costs for the project, please contact the AHOPE for Children office.

You can donate to AHOPE through their website.

For special requests, contact the office. Donations to AHOPE for Children are tax-deductible.

PLEASE SEND CHRISTMAS ORDERS BY DECEMBER 10.

More ideas for holiday gifts with meaning:

Gift idea - Cows, goats and pigs

Gift idea - Angel Covers

*Photo from Liquid Library