The Best Gifts That Give Back for 2019
These are some of our favorite brands that find ways to give back to their communities and to the world.
This holiday season, give a gift that gives back. From hand-stitched table linens to single-origin chocolates, all of these stylish goods give back to a worthy cause or support the hardworking people who made them. So, whether you're keeping it small with some thoughtful stocking stuffers or going BIG with a luxurious getaway, you can feel good knowing that each of these gifts will help make the world a better place.
1. Clif Family Wine x World Bicycle Relief
Clif Family Wine, a Napa Valley producer, is donating 20% of the sales from this unique wine gift set to World Bicycle Relief. Sip on their 2016 Bici Red Rhone blend and know that you’re helping bring mobility to students, health workers, and entrepreneurs in rural developing areas all over the world.
$100 from cliffamily.com
2. Bee Raw Honey Gift Set
Bee Raw is all about sharing phenomenal honey from small, sustainable, family-run farms. This lovely box also includes wildflower seeds so you can help save bees from malnutrition by planting bee-friendly flowers to help them nourish themselves and their hive.
$72 from beeraw.com
3. Louise Gray Napkins & Table Runners
Louise Gray is a small Minneapolis producer making beautifully-crafted quilts and home goods with 100% cotton and linen. We love the classic simplicity of their new tabletop line, like these red-stitched linen napkins and table runners. Louise Gray is very cognizant of their waste and donates all fabric scraps to local artists to repurpose and to Minnesota Quilters, Inc., an organization that supports the continued education and practice of traditional quilting.
Starting at $40 from louisegray.com
4. Bona Furtuna Gift Set
Give someone the gift of an authentic Sicilian feast in their own home. This set from Bona Furtuna is made with 100% organic Sicilian ingredients, including heirloom Corleonese tomatoes (which you can’t find commercially anywhere else in the U.S.!). Feel-good bonus: Excess profits are donated to No Kid Hungry and the Zimbardo-Luczo Fund, a charity and scholarship program that gives back to the Sicilian community.
The Corleone, $125 from bonafurtuna.com
5. Modern Sprout Garden Kits
Modern Sprout creates home garden products for the gardener with no garden access. These carefully crafted kits operate on a clever self-contained hydroponic system that makes them perfect for small kitchens and apartments. Plus, they’re a no-brainer to get started – all you have to do is add water. The Chicago-based company is committed to giving back to their community by partnering with the Heartland Alliance to provide employment for Chicago’s most vulnerable residents, as well as donating a portion of all proceeds to protect our ecosystem’s important pollinators like bees and butterflies.
Starting at $25 from food52.com
6. Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal
Give BIG this year with a trip for two to Cabo’s ultra-luxurious Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal resort (starting at $750/night). The hotel is pioneering “Give-Back Tourism” with two beyond the beach experiences where guests can immerse themselves and volunteer in local communities in the area. Visit La Candelaria, a small community nestled in the desert, or explore the legendary art scene, culture and organic farm-to-table cooking happening in nearby Todos Santos.
Experiences starting at $650 for two people from waldorfastorialoscabospedregal.com
7. Light My Fire Dinnerware
This dinnerware kit from Swedish company, Light My Fire, is perfect for the avid camper or picnic fanatic in your life. The 8-piece set has everything you need to prepare a meal outdoors, including a small cutting board AND a pasta strainer, in a compact package. Plus, all of Light My Fire’s products are made of 100% biobased plastics, meaning they’re composed of organic materials and can be recycled. Luckily, this doesn’t prevent them from being microwave- and dishwasher-safe, so they’re also perfect for your day-to-day desk lunch.
8-Piece Mess Kit, $30 from rei.com or amazon.com
8. Island Creek Oysters and Caviar
Island Creek is known for their phenomenal east coast Duxbury Bay oysters, but now they’re also in the caviar game. Give someone special the gift of two dozen supremely fresh oysters with a 30-gram tin of Paddlefish roe from a wild fishery in Oklahoma. Yes, Oklahoma. The state is running a conservation project that’s monitoring paddlefish species in order to help maintain their natural population. Lucky for us, the plump, savory pearls are a biproduct of this research. The low price-point and mild profile also make Paddlefish an accessible entry point for those new to caviar. For maximum freshness, this gift comes with free overnight shipping, PLUS 10% of all profits are donated to aquaculture development projects created and funded by Island Creek.
$98 from shop.islandcreekoysters.com
9. Kiehl’s Hand Cream
This thick, rich hand cream is the ultimate stocking stuffer for tireless cooks with dry, chapped dish hands. Kiehl’s is also a company that you can feel good about supporting. They’re heavily involved in their community through civic and environmental initiatives like donating to HIV/AIDS research and their Recycle and Be Rewarded trade-in campaign.
Ultimate Strength Hand Salve, $16 from kiehls.com
10. Askinosie Peppermint Bark
Give the gift of something sweet for Christmas with this rustic pine box of “bean to bark” peppermint bark made with Askinoskie’s single-origin chocolate. The fully transparent company gives a fair portion of each sale back to their farm partners in Ecuador, Tanzania, Honduras and the Philippines.
Large box for $30 from askinosie.com
11. The Bouqs Co. Holiday Wreath
Bouqs partners with only eco-friendly farms that work to minimize their waste, recycle water and use sustainable growing practices. They also work with local farmers and florists in your area to reduce emissions from shipping flowers across the country. We’re hoping someone sends us one of their fragrant pine wreaths this Christmas (hint, hint).
Starting at $54 from bouqs.com
12. No Kid Hungry Spatulas
Williams-Sonoma and No Kid Hungry are partnering again with some of our favorite celebrities (we’re looking at you, Ina Garten!) to create custom, colorful spatulas for a good cause. Gift one of this year’s designs, like the abstract art from José Andrés , and 30% of the sales will go towards fighting childhood hunger.
$15 from williams-sonoma.com
13. The Citizenry Marble Serving Board
We are lusting after this sleek matte black marble board hand carved by Herrera Marble Workshop in Puebla, Mexico. Each piece sold by The Citizenry is made in a fair-trade environment and 10% of sales are invested back into these artisan communities.
Puebla Marble Serving Board, $95 from the-citizenry.com