Category Archives: Action

Heifer Haiti Distributes Food to Hurricane Sandy Victims

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Last Friday we posted about emergency efforts that were underway to help the people of Haiti affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Yesterday, Heifer Haiti’s Country Director, Hervil Cherubin, let us know that the food distribution was a success. More than 400 food packages were given out to families who needed help in the wake of the storm. Cherubin said Heifer Haiti also helped provide food to Haitians who are physically challenged.

The distribution took place in Solon (a community in Saint Louis du Sud) where Heifer Haiti has a rabbit project and various communities in Les Cayes where the office is located.

It was the first of Heifer Haiti’s planned efforts to provide emergency aid. While Heifer does not specialize in short-term relief but rather in long-term sustainable solutions, our Heifer Haiti colleagues and participants need your continued help. Please consider donating to our Disaster Rehabilitation Fund so we can provide the best assistance possible and help equip families with the means to help deal with future disasters.

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We Are The Heifer Ranch Volunteers

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Editor’s Note: The following post was written by Heifer Ranch volunteers. Stay tuned in 2013 for our upcoming Heifer Blog series, Volunteer Voices.

More than ever, it is often difficult to feel hopeful about the future – especially when one billion people live in urban slums, and nearly 870 million chronically hungry. Sometimes, it seems that our worries focus more on making money and the status of our economy rather than the plight of those less fortunate than we are. Yet, if we take a moment to slow down, there are people all around us dedicating their time and heart to local, national, and international causes that do make the world a better place. A bell is often ringing outside our supermarkets for the Salvation Army, your barista may mentor refugee children in return for a smile, and on cold winter nights food finds its way into the hands of those who do not have a home to come back to.

Here on the Heifer Ranch there are volunteers from all around the world who come and live on the ranch full-time. We work in the CSA garden, raise and care for livestock, work with school groups, and simply maintain the ranch as a whole.

Heifer Ranch volunteers

Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

But why do we volunteer? Why do people give so much of their time and effort and receive nothing in return? Often volunteering is a learning experience. Many of us had never been on a ranch before, knew nothing about raising livestock, sustainable agriculture, or issues relating to hunger and poverty, yet by being here and pushing ourselves, we have grown. Those that had never touched a sheep in person are now trimming their hooves. We know how to water a garden using a treadle pump after growing up having to just turn a faucet to receive this precious liquid. We have learned how to absorb the staggering statistics revolving around hunger and poverty and then convey this to students in a way that impacts and empowers them to act. And, we have all found ourselves acquiring mountains of crafty knowledge we had never envisioned prior to our arrival. Yet we also learn about who we are, about what we hold dear to ourselves, and what we want in the future.

From this, it may seem that volunteering is a personal activity, one that we do to learn or make ourselves happy. And though this may play a role in us being motivated to volunteer, this is normally not the reason one chooses to volunteer. There are many ways we can learn and gain experience while at the same time receiving something in return, like a job. And yes we often do find joy in the act of volunteering, but this seems to be an unavoidable side affect of performing a selfless act that helps aid others in need. Despite this, happiness is not the motivation of volunteers, because there are many other ways we could be spending our time that would load us full of such hedonistic feelings.

What brings us to volunteer is passion. We find ourselves captivated by so many different things, and for each person our drive is focused differently. Through volunteering we are able to translate our passion into a positive force. Those that are transfixed by the plight of the homeless in their community spend time at food banks and kitchens for the homeless. Those who dream of a food system where we can all thrive and be healthy spend time in community gardens. And those who are captivated by the struggle of those less fortunate in all corners of the Earth volunteer for organizations like Heifer, providing a hand up to those who see no help in sight.

Volunteering is a crucial action. It is one that humbles us, allows us to push past the individualism which often holds us back, gives to those who cannot give, and creates a loving community from which we all can thrive.

It is not that we all become full time residential volunteers, but that we can find the time to volunteer in some capacity. For no matter how small or how little time we have to give we make a difference. We fill a belly, bring about a smile, and empower someone who has never felt powerful.

Volunteers strive to reach that better world and motivate others to take time out of a busy schedule to perform a selfless deed and create a beautiful place to live. We have hope, hope in future where far more people perform work, thinking of someone other than themselves, hope for a better world. And as we write, we have faith that hope will become realize. More people are volunteering and, as on the sign one sees departing the Heifer Ranch, more people “go in peace.”

Heifer Ranch sign.

Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

Learn more about the Heifer Ranch, or find out how to become a Heifer Ranch volunteer!

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Treat Them to Trees

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This time of year when so many of us are talking about trees — which one to buy, how does it smell, what happens if my dog eats the branches — we should all take a minute to say “thank you” to the life of a tree and the environmental protection they provide.

Trees for environmental protection

Photo by Geoff Oliver Bugbee, courtesy of Heifer International.

Trees are essential to life on Earth. Heifer recognizes their simple yet extraordinary virtues and gives many varieties of trees and saplings including acacia, fodder, forest and fruit to families in the communities where we work. And trees seedlings are Passed On to other families ensuring the sustainable cycle that’s key to Heifer’s development model.

Did you know?

  • Trees breathe out oxygen and breathe in carbon dioxide.
  • Trees hold water in the soil and moisture in the air.
  • Trees provide food and medicines for birds, animals and people.
  • Fast-growing trees put nitrogen back in the soil, serve as windbreaks and provide fodder, fencing, firewood and fruit.
  • Multi-purpose trees that families plant along the contours of hillside plots and between rows of crops can provide shade for animals and high-protein fodder.
So as a “thank you” to trees for how much they give us,  I’m gifting trees to my friends and family this holiday season. Hope they breathe a little better.

Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

This holiday season, give trees for your loved ones dedicated to environmental protection.

This post is part of our What to Give series, where we’re helping you choose the best Heifer gift for your loved ones. Read previous What to Give posts here, and subscribe to the What to Give series here.

Still don’t know what to give? Visit our full catalog page here.

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Volunteering for Heifer Through the Years

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Editor’s note: Today is International Volunteer Day 2012. This year’s theme is “Celebrate Volunteering!” Heifer International is supported by many volunteers, in both developed and developing countries. Today we share accounts from some of those volunteers. The following post is by Nancy Handke, a Heifer community volunteer in Clarendon Hills, Illinois.

Volunteers Welcome

Photo by sj-white. Used under Creative Commons license.

I first became aware of Heifer in the late 50s when my church elected me to be the Heifer representative. When the Chicago office opened, I became a volunteer mainly doing mailings. Soon I began volunteering in the office one or two days a week doing odd jobs plus setting up the computer database. Audrey Veath also was volunteering the same day, and we became dear friends. She suggested we have a quilt auction for Heifer International. Together we chaired the auction, which was held every three years. It became the major fundraiser for the Chicago office.

My church got a new rector, who one day asked me if I thought we could put on something like a Living Gift Market for our community. I thought I had died and gone to Heaven! And thus in 2007, the Family Farm Fest was born. We are a small congregation, but have become a dedicated Heifer church where everyone volunteers for Family Farm Fest. The event is held in our church parking lot the first Saturday of August every year. We have 10 animal booths, each of which has a “hands on” craft project for children and a Heifer volunteer who explains how the animal is used to improve the lives of the Heifer recipients. There are games, food, cake walks, and of course live animals. The llamas and alpacas are a huge hit as they walk around the grounds. In 2011 we even had a camel. We begin working on the Fest in January. A big part of our focus is spreading the word about Heifer. Starting in May we go to all the local and surrounding communities and have booths in their fairs, street dances, Daisy Days, etc. where we handout Heifer material along with a flyer about Family Farm Fest. We attract up to 1,000 + at the Fest and have been very lucky in raising Gift Arks for Heifer.

This past August we had a simulated Passing on the Gift ceremony with a script written by two Heifer volunteers. We also invited the Church of the Brethren, Union Church and a Muslim congregation to join with us, and “man” a booth to make our festival more ecumenical and inclusive of the community. The day after the Family Farm Fest, we had big celebration service in church, where there wasn’t a dry eye while everyone rejoiced in the accomplishment of raising Gift Arks for Heifer.

Heifer International is so very dear to my heart. It is the only charity where, in all my 81 years, I have volunteered where I know the money goes where it does the most good and keeps on giving. It is not a one shot deal like so many other charities are. Another benefit I treasure is the many wonderful friends I have made. Heifer volunteers are the best!

Become a Heifer Volunteer.

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The Spirit of Volunteerism

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Editor’s note: Today is International Volunteer Day 2012. This year’s theme is “Celebrate Volunteering!” Heifer International is supported by many volunteers, in both developed and developing countries. Today we share accounts from some of those volunteers. The following post is by Richard Ims, residential volunteer at Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas.

Heifer Ranch volunteer Richard milking goat

Richard Ims milks a goat at Heifer Ranch. Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

A pessimist, they say, sees a glass of water as being half empty; an optimist sees the same glass as half full.
But a giving person sees a glass of water and starts looking for someone who might be thirsty.

– G. Donald Gale

Research has documented the benefits of volunteering. Health seems to improve both physically and mentally for those who give of themselves for others. But this is not our motivation. It is only a glancing consequence to truly getting behind something we believe in. We’d do it regardless of any quid pro quo perk.

It is a calling.

The very definition of volunteering is a service-act of one’s own freewill…..without compensation. This lack of compensation, at the heart of it, should include any “warm-fuzzy” we might be addicted to as amelioration for our “good” actions. This is the yardstick we use to help critique our own motivation in aiding others. How does this make me feel?  A legitimate question, yes…..but not the compelling factor. We can and should certainly feel fulfilled as a human being when we are able to help relieve another’s plight. This is why we exist. This is why we were created. But the yearning of compassion relentlessly tugs.

Love cannot remain by itself — it has no meaning.
Love has to be put into action, and that action is service.

– Mother Teresa

Therefore, always take the stance of humility and be ready to have your own plight relieved by another….and accept it graciously. To be fully human is in part, to know how to pass on AND receive the gift when freely given. The whole and mature volunteer knows and lives this principle comfortably.

Now allow me to also ponder the agricultural definition of a volunteer [read: a plant which springs up from its own seed]:  “Growing, without being intentionally seeded by hand.”

We volunteers, miraculously grow more deeply without the expectation of constantly being re-seeded by any profit motivation. We just give, as we have been given already from the start, better off for not fully knowing our impact:

It is like a man who casts seed upon the soil;he goes to bed at night and gets up by day,and the seed sprouts up and grows– how, he himself does not know.

– Mark 4:27

We need focus outside our own selves. The lack of this outward focus has been one of the deadliest downfalls of our recent societal trend: Individualism and the stubborn, immature and selfish stance of “me.”

In many ways, WHAT volunteering effort we get behind almost doesn’t matter. It is THAT we get behind something other than ourselves and our own agendas, which makes the difference:

If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work,
but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.

– Antoine de Saint Exupery

My wife and I have been full-time volunteers for the past 12 years. We’ve had to sacrifice a lot to do this, but no thing greater than our own agendas and ideas of success. Much of our inspiration has come from other volunteers, especially the young voices and activists who have more of a global perspective than we ever did at their ages. It gives us great hope and great pride in the human endeavor.

Only when we give joyfully, without hesitation or thought of gain, can we truly know what love means.

– Leo Buscaglia

Richard's wife, Jina, volunteering in Kitchen at Heifer Ranch

Richard's wife, Jina, volunteering in the kitchen at Heifer Ranch. Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

Of course, most are not called to full-time volunteering. There are so many important family responsibilities that trump this lifestyle. But the care we give our own family members is also a call in the spirit of volunteerism and “going beyond the call of duty,” which nurtures and manifests that same spirit in our future generations through leading by example.

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

– Aesop

So serve in the situation and opportunity your creator has given you already. Then be open and vigilant to the opportunities that pervade your own community. In this way we may gracefully expand into the void that begs to be filled by love and care and then without fail, the act exponentially multiplies and causes a ripple effect.

How lovely to think that no one need wait a moment: we can start now, start slowly changing the world! How lovely that everyone, great and small, can make a contribution toward introducing justice straight away.

– Anne Frank

It is pure pleasure to know that we work with fellow volunteers and in our own way, foster greater Love, Peace and Joy in the human spirit; to encourage and be encouraged. Remain steadfast and please don’t let the task-oriented, hard-wiring of our society make you forget why you do what you do. Volunteering is way beyond a job, so don’t make it one. Take the time to smell the roses you are planting through your positive energy and desire to serve. In this way, we journey together to one day become more fully human.

I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.
Those among you who will be truly happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.

– Dr. Albert Schweitzer

Become a Heifer Volunteer.

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Heifer Volunteers, We Thank You

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Editor’s note: Today is International Volunteer Day 2012. This year’s theme is “Celebrate Volunteering!” Heifer International is supported by many volunteers, in both developed and developing countries. Today we share accounts from our volunteers and staff. The following post is by Kate Merrill, Heifer’s Atlanta Community Engagement Coordinator.

I’m often asked by my colleagues in other charities how Heifer is able to maintain over 80 percent of its revenue from contributions, even in the hardest of economic times, and continue to build upon the 18.5 million families around the world Heifer has helped. I tell them that it’s simple – we have an amazingly diverse and widespread grassroots network of helpers. People who feel a deep connection to our work are embedded in communities across the U.S., sharing Heifer in their congregations, schools, civic organizations, at local fairs and festivals and even dropping Heifer Gift Catalogs in doctor’s offices and airplane seat pockets. They are young and old, of every background and race, and individual powerhouses of energy and enthusiasm for sharing our work. They keep our mission alive at the local level so we can train, educate and empower impoverished communities on a global level.

Early Heifer Volunteers

Early Heifer Volunteers: the Seagoing Cowboys. Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

The first Heifer volunteers stood up in Dan West’s church in 1944 and offered cows to struggling families in Puerto Rico. Then young male volunteers, called “Seagoing Cowboys,” transported our animals on ships to our first projects around the world. And while our volunteers no longer need a farming background to contribute, they have the same heart for helping the poor help themselves through a passion for sharing our mission.

The line distinguishing a donor from a volunteer at Heifer is nonexistent. Anyone who gives a gift of an animal to another person is passing on our mission to another person. We are all advocates for Heifer’s work each time we share with others how the simple gift of an animal can be the difference between hunger and self-reliance for a family in need.

Young volunteer.

Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

Many of the staff at Heifer were once volunteers themselves, and many who have moved on from Heifer still are! Heifer’s mission lives inside of us for a lifetime, bringing out the best in us as we work together to create a more just and sustainable world.

Volunteering for Heifer feels good because helping others feels good. People flock to you to tell you their story about how they’ve supported Heifer, why they love the mission and what their favorite animal to give is. Like-minded people engage you in conversations about feeding the world’s poor. People thank you for sharing Heifer with them! Atlanta volunteers, Ernie Scott and Polly Holder, tell me how much it inspires them when they give a presentation or staff a booth and are surrounded by an instant community of people eager to help others. Ernie says, “It reminds me that I’m not alone.”

Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

It is easy to get overwhelmed by the problems in our world and feel that as an individual, there is little to be done to enact positive change. I’m reminded of something Fred Rogers said: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” No matter how disparaging things might be, we hold an incredible power to inspire and empower others through our actions. For each animal Heifer gives, there is an average of six pass-ons through Passing on the Gift. The same rings true for sharing Heifer’s work. Pass on to others why you support Heifer, and watch it grow. Being a helper is one of the easiest, most personally fulfilling ways to make a difference in the world.

Volunteer group.

Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

On this International Volunteer Day, we thank you – our endlessly hopeful, dedicated Heifer Helpers – for making Heifer’s work possible through every gift you give, booth you staff, presentation you do, and conversation you have that moves us one step closer to ending hunger and poverty. Thank you for sharing Heifer in your sphere of influence and giving the gift of hope to families all over the world.

Become a Heifer Volunteer.

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International Volunteer Day 2012: Celebrate Volunteering!

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Editor’s note: Today is International Volunteer Day 2012. This year’s theme is “Celebrate Volunteering!” Heifer International is supported by many volunteers, in both developed and developing countries. Today we will share accounts from some of those volunteers. The first is a testimony by Suzanne Awalt, a Heifer community volunteer in Rocklin, California.

Volunteer Day logo

Being a Heifer volunteer enriches my life in many ways. I am a more conscientious global citizen and neighbor, a more savvy donor to any and all charitable organizations, a more sensitive Earth steward. I feel culturally and spiritually connected to other peoples of the world and more in-touch with my own role in living justly and sustainably. It is a joy and a privilege to be part of a significant socioeconomic movement that improves the lives of others. Likewise, it is brings me pleasure to be able to share with individuals and groups the efficacy of Heifer’s long-tested method of empowering families and communities. I have learned a great deal and am able to interact on a regular basis with intelligent, passionate and engaged people who share a vision of a world where all citizens participate in the benefits of living on our beautiful planet. I am grateful each day for the presence of Heifer in my life.

Learn how you can Become a Heifer Volunteer.

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Happy Giving Tuesday!

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Giving Tuesday is Finally Here

We’ve made it through Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. Giving Tuesday is the time to do your holiday shopping in a way that really gives back.

Giving Tuesday Infographic

A gift from Heifer International is meaningful for everyone involved. Your friends, family and colleagues alike will be honored to receive gifts from Heifer, whether they’re goat lovers or tree huggers. You’ll know that you’ve not only done something special for your recipient, but also for our global community. And the ultimate recipient – the Heifer project participant family – will reap the benefits of your gift for years to come. Best yet, that gift will keep on giving as our participants Pass on the Gift to another family in the community.

Give to Heifer today to support the real giving season’s opening day.

Give Heifer this Giving Tuesday

Photo by Geoff Bugbee, courtesy of Heifer International.

Does it surprise you that 79 percent of Americans polled would rather have a donation made in their name rather than a gift they know they’ll never use? That’s nearly 80 percent of your shopping list!

This Giving Tuesday, shop Heifer’s Online Gift Catalog for everyone on your list.

Want to figure out how much to spend?

Use Our Black Friday Savings Calculator to Turn Your Savings into Heifer Gifts  

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What is Thanksgiving to Your Family?

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Happy Thanksgiving! The Thanksgiving holiday has many meanings to people all over the country. What is Thanksgiving to your family? Do you spend time sharing what it is you each are thankful for?

What is Thanksgiving?

Photo credit: muffintinmom, used under Creative Commons license.

As a Heifer International employee, I am grateful for you. For Heifer donors, supporters, volunteers and participants everywhere. I want to say Thank You for helping us do the important work of ending hunger, poverty and environmental degradation.

If you’re feeling extra generous on this day of thanks, I’d like to encourage you to consider making the gift of a Boost of Nutrition so that another family can be as fortunate as yours. While many of us are feasting, nearly a billion are going hungry. Today, you can do something to help.

This post is part of our What to Give series, where we’re helping you choose the best Heifer gift for your loved ones. Read previous What to Give posts here, and subscribe to the What to Give series here.

Still don’t know what to give? Check out our entire online Gift Catalog.

Tell us in the comments section: What is Thanksgiving to Your Family?

What is Thanksgiving without giving? Give now.

 

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Giving Tuesday in One Week

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Only one week left to prepare for Giving Tuesday! Are you ready? Need a little inspiration? Check out this special Heifergraphic.

Giving Tuesday Infographic

Heifer International has been a trailblazer in the alternative gift giving market. Our model is simple, yet it has a profound impact on the millions of families we serve each year. This resonates with shoppers and gift recipients alike. We are excited to participate in the inaugural Giving Tuesday, and I hope you will participate.

Get your family and friends in on the Giving Tuesday action, too. Tell them about your plans while you’re gathered together this week.

Participate in Giving Tuesday

Does is surprise you that 79 percent of Americans polled would rather have a donation made in their name rather than a gift they know they’ll never use? Tell us in the comments section.

Use Our Black Friday Savings Calculator to Turn Your Savings into Heifer Gifts  

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Celebration of Living Gifts Coming to Overlook Farm

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Attend Overlook Farm’s Celebration of Living Gifts December 1 & 2 and 8 & 9

Heifer’s Learning Center at Overlook Farm will be hosting its Celebration of Living Gifts on four days in December. Take your pick! Get your holiday shopping done early; we have something for everyone on your list.

Celebration of Living Gifts Flyer-Overlook

Can’t make it to a Celebration of Living Gifts? Donate online now.

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