Notable Quotes
Below is an assortment of notable Heifer quotes from celebrities, media sources, project recipients and donors.
Celebrities/Notable Figures
"Heifer is unique in its program to directly aid  people around the world. ... With this project you get a much greater sense of a person-to-person relationship, which is very important." — Walter Cronkite, former managing editor and anchor of the CBS evening news
"The work you are doing is truly exceptional."
— Amy Maddigan and Ed Harris, actors
"I have long been proud of the fine work of Heifer International." — President Jimmy Carter
"Heifer Project is courageously addressing some of the most difficult problems facing our world today—ending hunger, preserving the environment, empowering women and building strong, self-reliant families and communities." — Hillary Rodham Clinton, US Senator, New York
"With the help of folks like you and me, Heifer  International tackles the problem of hunger one family at a time with gifts of renewable resources - farm animals that are ongoing sources of food and income." — Susan Sarandon, Actor
"Ted (Danson) and I are happy to support the work of Heifer Project International. It is a project that can take a gift of a goat, a flock of chickens or a water buffalo and turn it into a life-saving resource. People are taking charge of their lives. We believe Heifer Project is an important answer to the issue of world hunger. " — Mary Steenburgen, Actress
"With a gift of a Heifer International animal, it is  not just giving money away to some vast organization that you hope is going to trickle down to the people who need it. You are giving a living, breathing, breeding gift, so that you know exactly what it is that participants in Heifer programs around the world are going to get, and you know it's going to change their lives dramatically." — Brad Whitford/Jane Kaczmarek, Actors
 "I found out about this marvelous work and had the honor of narrating the video Legacy for Efrain. One of the kids in that video - Beatrice Biira - has a new life because of the gift of one goat and there is even a best selling children's book written about her. Heifer Project and I are a good match . . . . because I love animals . . . I love people . . . and I want to be sure that we have green spaces, clean air, clean water and enough food, not only for today, but way off in the future." — Edward Asner, Actor
"One of the most rewarding aspects of reaching a large audience with one's work is the opportunity to help spread the word about the invaluable services that The Heifer Project provides to people in need around the globe." — Rene Auberjonois, Actor, Deep Space 9
"What I like best about Heifer Project is that it is not only saving lives, but also making lives independent at the same time." — Scott Glenn, stage, screen and film actor
"It's not easy to laugh when you're hungry. Instead of giving life to drawings as I've done, Heifer Project gives life by providing food-producing animals to people in need. — Chuck Jones, creator of Bugs Bunny
"Because I have a special interest in food production, along with the abiding hope for cultural respect and global justice, yours remains one of my favorite humanitarian organizations." — Barbara Kingsolver, best-selling author of The Poisonwood Bible, Prodigal Summer, Small Wonder and other books
"Heifer International deserves its stellar reputation. Its approach offers immediate help to our planet's most vulnerable citizens; and it builds community strength for longer-term solutions. Linking people across continents, Heifer is the positive face of globalization--connecting communities around the world through hands-on projects that get to the root causes of hunger." — Frances Moore Lappé and Anna Lappé, Small Planet Institute
Media Sources
"One of America's 100 Best Charities." —Worth Magazine
"The idea behind Heifer … is similar to the notion that it's better to teach a man to fish so he can feed himself than to give him a fish that will feed him just once. One animal could eventually benefit an entire community." — Associated Press
"One way to counter the conspiracy of shopping malls and Santa is by offering people the opportunity to exchange 'alternative gifts.' There is, for example, Heifer International. It beats another gift basket." — The Washington Post
"Looking for an unusual gift that will be remembered long after the rapidly approaching holiday? Make a gift of a goat." — The Houston Chronicle
"Heifer … offers a warm, fuzzy gift list that keeps on giving … when you give an animal to a family, you don't have to lie awake at night and think, 'Okay, I fed them, but what will happen tomorrow?'" — San Diego Union Tribune
"Heifer is still working . . . long after other aid organizations have left." — The Christian Science Monitor
"Heifer International has the ultimate gift idea: life itself." — Sacramento Bee
"And so my gesture is to send a water buffalo... This 6ft., 1,500-pound animal can stand with barefoot children and maybe, someday, account for the shoes on their feet." — Jimmy Breslin, newspaper columnist
"Heifer International works in the most impoverished areas on Earth. Although, it does not give medicine, food, clothes or education, it offers a means for families to earn those things." — The Los Angeles Times
Project Recipients
"Thank you for assisting the poor all over the world through Heifer." — Archibald Tarawia, Heifer project leader, Tanzania
"I am taking care of two children for the last nine years. My son left these children after their mother died. I have had to pay for everything on my own from my pension ($20 per month). Heifer International has been our savior. Without this cow, these children surely would have died." — Kotyck Maria Dmytrivna (a 69-year-old grandmother), Ukraine
"We have lived with nothing all our lives. Our house was empty, but now full of hope. Because we have received the cow from Heifer, we will be able to send our children to school. Our priority is them, and we hope they will have a future unlike what was given to us. I would like to show gratitude for Heifer International, but I have such limited words to express it." — Kein Tien, Viet Nam
"My cow is my treasure and vision. No longer do I sit alone in total darkness, but work as a farmer." — Lydia Chelangat-Mutai, (A legally-blind Heifer recipient), Kenya
"After the goats arrived, there was such an excitement in the house and enthusiasm to look after them. Their offspring have given us milk and improved the appearance and the health of our children. We were so excited to pass on the gift to another family. I still follow-up and visit this family as we have become friends. Actually, we are even closer than that, as though related, because we were able to give them a gift." — Lily Daka, Zambia
Donors
Heifer is one of the best development organizations that exist. Its principles for excellent holistic development are becoming more and more the "best practices" of newer organizations. HPI has the highest integrity in what it does. And on top of all that to participate in their work by being a donor is fun!
— Phoebe Griswold, wife of the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Churches of America
"I can't believe how difficult it is to contain in a few words the passion we have for Heifer. We talk about Heifer so much that people assume that we are on the staff, at the very least. I know of no other international development organization that is as transparent, creative and holistically respectful of humanity as HPI. The study tours we have taken have provided us with insightful, honest observations of Heifer's sustainable impact on the lives of others." — Cyndie McLachlan and Gary Tabasinske, Lopez Island, Washington
"A gift of a farm animal to an impoverished family is a gift of hope and well-being. It's great fun to give a cow or a goat or a water buffalo and know that the milk from that animal will mean that hungry children will be fed and be strong enough to go to school and that they can look toward a more meaningful future. My father told me about Heifer Project years ago. We have a culturally diverse family and this makes us realize even more how important the work of HPI is in making a difference in the world." — Nancy Matheson Burns, CEO, Dole and Bailey, Woburn, Massachusetts
"Thank you for making it possible for me to give a gift of life and growth to others. I tell everyone I can. Happy holidays!" — Jeanne Hyde, USA
"Because I did this, I don't think I'll be wasting as much food as I ususally do." — Celine Derenoncourt, 13, participant, HPI Global Village, Perryville, Arkansas
"I wanted to stay forever. It's a deeply life-challenging, soul-stirring, rebirthing experience...turning everything upside down and inside out." — Meg O'Connor, Honduras Tour, 1994
"I am an author who writes about personal responsibility. I heard about you on the Web – on the Motley Fool's 'Foolanthropy.' You are among an amazingly few people who really understand the lesson of not giving people a fish, but teaching them how to fish. Magnificent! I want to get involved."
— letter, Dennis, California
"I taught a college class in food and human nutrition. I told my students what you say about world hunger, poverty and education. Next semester, you bet this will be a class assignment. I am a former 4-H extension agent, so this fits into what I believe." — Frank, West Virginia
"My mother, sister and I are checking your catalog out and selecting gifts for our family. It is such a logical, natural answer to many of the needs in our world." — Sharon, New Hampshire
| 
