Gifts that Change Lives in World Vision Gift Catalog – Teach Kids the Meaning of the Season and help Families in DFW Struggling from Pandemic

In a year that has been especially challenging and uncertain, World Vision is urging families to choose hope, embracing the meaning behind the season, and finding joy in helping others. Through World Vision’s Gift Catalog, people can not only help those in need around the world, but also those right here in North Texas, while relishing in the true meaning of the season.

Gifts of animals like alpacas, goats, chickens and ducks, sheep, beehives, fishing kits and more are  available in World Vision’s Gift Catalog, which features more than 100 life-saving gifts, ranging in price from $16 to $50,000. Items include handmade gifts, livestock, water filtration systems, economic empowerment services, access to medicine, clothing, school supplies and more. Owning animals provides vital nutrition to children and families from food like milk and eggs, and brings income from the sale of food and wool. Shoppers give the gifts in their loved one’s name and send a personalized card describing the gift and its impact, while World Vision delivers the animal to the families in need. Through this program, the catalog offers a powerful way to make a long-term difference.

Trying to teach kids the meaning of the season? Many families use World Vision’s Gift Catalog as a teaching tool, giving children a tangible way to learn about the needs of others. 

The catalog also offers a way to help our friends and neighbors right here in North Texas: This year’s catalog includes Family Emergency Kits,14,000 of which have been given to families in North Texas, reaching more than 70,000 people struggling from the effects of COVID. These kits provide non-perishable food for a family of five and are being distributed here and across the U.S. in partnership with churches and schools to reach those who need it most. World Vision works from a domestic response warehouse located in North Texas, on Orr Boulevard in Grand Prairie, employing North Texans and offering a place to volunteer to help others, as well.

Also located in North Texas is the World Vision Teacher Resource Center (TRC) program, which provides new school supplies, backpacks, clothing, and other classroom resources to students in schools across DFW with 70 percent or higher poverty rates. Many teachers and other school staff come to a World Vision warehouse facility or mobile TRC and "shop," free of charge, for the products most useful to their students and classrooms. During Covid-19 in 2020, World Vision has added mobile distribution to get the supplies to DFW schools in need.

“In our own neighborhoods and churches, we see the economic hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, and we are moved to help. My prayer for this Christmas is even as we may be more isolated physically, God will use this moment to bring us closer to his heart for those desperately in need, who are often unseen and forgotten,” said Edgar Sandoval Sr., president and CEO of World Vision U.S.

It’s an especially critical year for children in the world’s toughest places. Due to the economic impact of the pandemic and shutdowns, more than 70 million more people could be pushed back into extreme poverty – the first rise in global poverty since 1998. World Vision is estimating this could put up to 10 million children at risk of famine if immediate action isn’t taken.

World Vision partners with Gifts with a Cause,a fair trade organization that provides a sustainable income to artists in developing countries. Each artisan receives a living wage, a safe place to work, business development training and opportunities to build long-term business relationships in their communities. 

This year, Emmy® Award-winning actor, producer and author Patricia Heaton; actor, director and producer Melissa Joan Hart; Sadie Robertson Huff, TV personality and best-selling author; Leanne Ford, interior designer, author and HGTV star; and Wé McDonald, singer and author, all have items featured in the catalog. Each woman lent her unique style to the design of a beautiful artisan-made gift. 

Proceeds from the handcrafted gifts in the catalog go to the World Vision Fund, which addresses specific, urgent needs in World Vision’s humanitarian work that empower people out of poverty. Launched 25 years ago, the World Vision Gift Catalogis one of the most popular gift-giving platforms for families across the United States. 

To order from World Vision’s Gift Catalog visit www.worldvision.org or call 1-855-WV-GIFTS (1-855-984-4387).