Gifts That Give Back
During the holidays, our collective consumerism can reach a fever pitch and prompt some very real self-reflection. With this in mind, we encourage readers who have the bandwidth and budget to donate time or money—at any time of the year—to local mutual aid initiatives or larger organizations like The Loveland Foundation, The Trevor Project, Last Prisoner Project, Everytown, Kiva, RAICES and more. Sometimes, though, you can buy a present that a loved one will adore and give to an important cause at the same time. With art, accessories, apparel, food, skincare products, jewelry and much more, our Gifts That Give Back guide overflows with ideas that will have far-reaching, positive effects.
Hero image For The Birds LP 3, cover art by Simone Shubuck, courtesy of the Audubon Society
Piruwa Kettle
Piruwa Kettle
Honoring 65,000 years of Australian culture, Breville has worked with Alison Page—a Wadi Wadi and Walbanga woman of the Yuin nation and founder of the National Aboriginal Design Agency—to create the Aboriginal Culinary Journey collection. Four different artists created original works for the collection; they each own the copyright to their works and receive royalties from the sale of the products. Further, Breville is donating 100% of the profits from this collection to be split between the National Indigenous Culinary Institute and an Indigenous scholarship fund at the University of Technology Sydney. A total of 10,000 units were produced with the goal to raise AUD$1,000,000. Shown here is the Piruwa Kettle by Yalti Napangati.
Added: August 2023
This product is sold by Breville
2021 The Alright Fight Club Wine
2021 The Alright Fight Club Wine
This white blend from Tank Garage combines Grüner Veltliner with Chenin Blanc, making for a bright wine with hints of citrus, lemongrass and pear. Perfect for summery meals, it’s refreshing and crowd-pleasing. Best of all, proceeds from sales go to The Jed Foundation and Winston’s Wish—organizations that focus on children’s mental health.
Added: May 2023
This product is sold by Tank Garage
Summer Essentials AAPI Beauty Box
Summer Essentials AAPI Beauty Box
100% of profits from sales from this gift box will be donated to AAPI Women Lead, an organization that aims to end violence within and toward the Asian, Asian American and Pacific Island communities—with a focus on women, girls and gender-expansive individuals. The set includes items from Mohala Eyewear and Aloha Collection, Tatcha, Girlfriend Collective, Tower 28, Mount Lai, Kulfi Kajal, Eadem, Youthforia and Have A Nice Day. From hair accessories to cleansers, a gua sha and more, there are plenty of goodies within.
Added: May 2023
This product is sold by Various Brands
Table of Contents Community Cookbook
Table of Contents Community Cookbook
Table of Contents is a food, literature, arts and culture project from chef Evan Hanczor. The Table of Contents Community Cookbook features recipes and other works by 36 writers (including Alexander Chee, Carmen Maria Machado, Nafissa Thompson-Spires and Kaitlyn Greenidge), along with illustrations from more than 18 artists. In addition to being a diverse selection of recipes, the book is a way to give back to the community, with all proceeds going to Food Issues Group (FIG), a grassroots collective working toward an equitable and sustainable food system in New York.
Added: April 2023
This product is sold by Table of Contents
“Our Bodies Deserve Respect” Tote
“Our Bodies Deserve Respect” Tote
Embellished with a design by visual artist and trans activist Xavier Schipani, the “Our Bodies Deserve Respect” Tote is part of a collection of apparel and accessories from Noise For Now—a non-profit focused on reproductive justice and healthcare. The organization keeps 10% of proceeds from sales (in order to cover operations) and the other 90% goes to Texas Health Action’s Kind Clinic as well as other independent abortion centers.
Added: March 2023
This product is sold by Noise For Now
“cultivate freedom, fund abortion” Sweatshirt
“cultivate freedom, fund abortion” Sweatshirt
The Jane Fund of Central Massachusetts is a non-profit dedicated to funding and supporting access to abortion for the state and beyond. Their ethos “cultivate freedom, fund abortion” adorns this classic sweatshirt (below a floral design). The garment is available in sizes small to 5XL. All proceeds from its sales go directly to the organization to support their critical, life-saving work.
Added: March 2023
This product is sold by The Jane Fund of Central Massachusetts
Heart Cards
Heart Cards
Visual artist Ifeoma Orjiekwe’s heart-shaped faces adorn the exterior of these greeting cards from Heart n Soul, a visual arts company and non-profit that employs individuals with learning disabilities. Available in sets of two (in red or blue and orange), each card has a blank interior and comes with an envelope. Price is in Pounds.
Added: February 2023
This product is sold by Heart N Soul
“FEED YOUR NEIGHBOR” Knit Socks
“FEED YOUR NEIGHBOR” Knit Socks
Sky High Farm Workwear is a clever “food-to-fashion” collection from Sky High Farm, a New York-based non-profit that grows fresh produce to donate. Led by artist Dan Colen, the apparel’s visual language mirrors the farm’s ethos: it’s playful, functional and a reminder to be benevolent. Thus, their take on classic, mid-calf socks features “FEED YOUR NEIGHBOR” on the side. Cozy and durable, these socks benefit the non-profit.
Added: February 2023
This product is sold by Sky High Farm
Sovereign Land Long-Sleeve T-Shirt
Sovereign Land Long-Sleeve T-Shirt
From Clothing The Gaps (a hybrid social enterprise and apparel brand), this long-sleeve “Sovereign Land” T-shirt states a fact and can work as a conversation starter about invasion, sovereignty and land rights. The Melbourne/Naarm-based collective designs and prints the garment in Wurundjeri Country in an ethical manner. Made from 100% cotton, its bold colors also echo those of the Aboriginal Flag. Price is in AUD.
Added: January 2023
This product is sold by Clothing The Gaps
No Trespassing Calendar
No Trespassing Calendar
Featuring work by acclaimed 12 artists, the “No Trespassing” calendar aims to raise money for Planned Parenthood of Greater New York. Printed in an edition of 500, the spiral-bound calendar includes pieces by Faith Ringgold, Marilyn Minter, Louise Bourgeois, Jenny Holzer, LaKela Brown, Fumiko Imano, Maggie Lee, Catherine Opie, Farah Al Qasimi, Janiva Ellis, Ana Mendieta and Lauren Greenfield. All profits will be donated.
Added: January 2023
This product is sold by HOMME Girls
Blue Dogs Tea Towel
Blue Dogs Tea Towel
An ode to canine companions, this 100% cotton Blue Dogs Tea Towel features dog illustrations by artists who are part ARTHOUSE Unlimited, a UK-based non-profit that represents creatives who are neuro-diverse and/or have physical support needs. Each artist drew a pet’s portrait in blue pencil, creating a delightful print of all types of dogs. Plus, 100% of the proceeds from sales of the charming but practical product go back to the charity. Price is in Pounds.
Added: December 2022
This product is sold by Arthouse Unlimited
Checkered Santa Cruz Blanket
Checkered Santa Cruz Blanket
For each Sackcloth + Ashes blanket sold, the charitable brand donates one to someone experiencing homelessness. From them comes the Checkered Santa Cruz, a retro-colored blanket that features a bright and wavy take on the classic pattern. Made from recycled wool and polyester and spun without the use of dye, this sustainable blanket is colorful and cozy.
Added: December 2022
This product is sold by Sackcloth + Ashes
Abolish Prisons Shirt
Abolish Prisons Shirt
From Small Spells (the company helmed by artist, reiki healer and tarot card reader, Rachel Howe), this “Abolish Prisons” T-shirt has been solar-dyed by LA-based Jennifer Parry Dodge, who forages eucalyptus, Japanese alder cones and logwood for the process. Each shirt is unique, thanks to this natural method, so colors and patterns will vary from indigo to purple to gray. Additionally, 50% of the proceeds from sales of each garment will be donated to the National Bail Out collective.
Added: December 2022
This product is sold by Small Spells
Taste and Place: The Design Hotels Book
Taste and Place: The Design Hotels Book
Travel is intrinsically linked with food, and this new book from Design Hotels explores and celebrates the culinary offerings and practices at properties including Jamaica’s Rockhouse, Italy’s Rastrello, Mexico’s Círculo Mexicano and Japan’s Satoyama Jujo. Through images and words by photographers, chefs and culinary experts and writers, Taste and Place traces terroir to table settings, tradition, sustainability and beyond. The company has also promised to donate a portion of the proceeds to humanitarian aid organizations that were suggested by their two Ukrainian member hotels: 11 Mirrors and Bursa Hotel. Price is in Euros.
Added: December 2022
This product is sold by Design Hotels
Eat More Baseball Cap
Eat More Baseball Cap
Phillip Lim and Panda Express partnered on a capsule collection of merch that benefits six organizations (Heart of Dinner, More Than a Meal (via Feed Forward), OCA-Greater Houston, Radical Family Farms, Respect Your Elders (Mama’s Drive-by Kitchen) and Welcome to Chinatown) that fight food insecurity within the AAPI community. From the three-piece collection, the “Eat More” baseball cap has been embroidered with the words “eat with us” on the front, and “eat more, share more, love more” at the back. With a buckle closure for adjusting the size, the six-panel cap is made from 100% cotton. All proceeds from sales of the cap are donated to the aforementioned organizations.
Added: December 2022
This product is sold by 3.1 Phillip Lim + Panda Express
Macaroni Necklace
Macaroni Necklace
Crafted with hand-painted sand-cast beads—antique African trade beads made by turning glass into powder, a process that originated with the Krobo tribe in Ghana in the 1800s—each of SVNR’s Macaroni Necklaces is one of a kind. The beads are threaded on 38-inch raffia but can be restrung on metallic cord for extra durability. All proceeds from sales go to Build Black Bed-Stuy, an organization fighting to preserve the historically Black community in the Brooklyn neighborhood.
Added: December 2022
This product is sold by SVNR
Brooklyn Tote
Brooklyn Tote
West Brooklyn Waterfront Mutual Aid and Gowanus Mutual Aid partnered with GrowNYC to create a community-supported agriculture program that provides fresh produce to those in Brooklyn who need it. This tote, featuring a logo of the borough designed by Brooklyn-based artist Jessie Smith, supports the initiative, with each purchase funding one week of food for a family.
Added: December 2022
This product is sold by West Brooklyn Waterfront Mutual Aid
OYA Pour Over Set
OYA Pour Over Set
Made by the staff of POT—a ceramics studio in LA that prioritizes people of color, adult beginners and the LGBTQ+ community—this pink pour-over set is full of levity, featuring a speckled design and a wacky frowny face with eyes made of stars. 100% of the proceeds from purchases of this set go to OYA Studio-Museum in Philadelphia to help Black ceramicists make and acquire art.
Added: November 2022
This product is sold by POT
The Max Crewneck
The Max Crewneck
From KROST, a mission-driven apparel brand, comes the Max Crewneck which benefits the Food Bank for New York City. All proceeds from sales of the sweatshirt are donated to the organization, which provides 100 million free meals every year. Made from 100% cotton, the garment is a classic boxy shape and is intended for all genders.
Added: November 2022
This product is sold by KROST
PRIDE Apron
PRIDE Apron
Hedley & Bennett’s PRIDE apron is a colorful, queer take on their professional chef-tested Essential apron, which has been fitted with a rainbow neck and waist ties as well as a bevy of functional pockets. The kitchen gear brand also donates a portion of the proceeds from the PRIDE apron’s sales to the Los Angeles LGBT Center and its Culinary Arts program which provides culinary training, meal production and jobs to queer students in the area.
Added: November 2022
This product is sold by Hedley & Bennett
Santa Teresa Rum
Santa Teresa Rum
Santa Teresa Rum has a rich and lightly fruity flavor that gives way to an unexpectedly dry, woodsy finish. Crafted by a family-owned distillery, founded in 1796 in Venezuela’s Aragua valley, the farm-to-bottle rum is made with a blend of up to 30 old and new rum casks. The rum helps fund the distillery’s Project Alcatraz which offers psychological and vocational assistance to former gang members.
Added: November 2022
This product is sold by Santa Teresa
Kehinde Wiley Tiled Silk Pajama Set
Kehinde Wiley Tiled Silk Pajama Set
Artware Editions transforms the vibrant beauty of Kehinde Wiley’s paintings into sophisticated silk pajamas that support Black Rock Senegal, Wiley’s artist residency program bringing creatives together in Dakar. The set features a tapestry comprised of four of Wiley’s works which depict Black and brown men in cross-cultural nationalistic poses, surrounded by lush landscapes.
Added: November 2022
This product is sold by Artware Editions
Deluxe Zebra Garden
Deluxe Zebra Garden
From Lula’s Garden—a succulent shop that supports water.org and its mission to make clean water accessible for all—comes the Deluxe Zebra Garden, a striking and striped Haworthia succulent arrangement, grown at family-owned nurseries. Each purchase of these plants provides six months of safe drinking water to someone in need.
Added: November 2022
This product is sold by Lula's Garden
Berry & Thread Tea for One Set
Berry & Thread Tea for One Set
A delightful tea set for one, Juliska’s handcrafted ceramic teacup, teapot and saucer make for elegant drinkware that stacks neatly away. With 20% of proceeds going to Girls Opportunity Alliance, an organization working to empower young girls, the set is dainty decor that directly funds education.
Added: November 2022
This product is sold by Juliska
“The Every Body” HoliRoots Hair Oil
“The Every Body” HoliRoots Hair Oil
Informed by the Indian tradition of hair oiling, the HoliRoots Hair Oil from Akash and Nikita Mehta’s beauty brand Fable & Mane is an award-winning root treatment for stronger, healthier hair. Within the vegan formula, ashwagandha helps to thicken hair while dashmool promotes scalp health to encourage growth. As a part of the Every Body campaign, 100% of the proceeds from “The Every Body” version of the oil will go to the SisterSong reproductive justice collective to support everyone’s right to safe, accessible abortions.
Added: November 2022
This product is sold by Fable & Mane
