A Time to Give

In my opinion, there are two types of holiday shoppers.

On one hand, there are people who plan out and purchase gifts throughout the entire year. They rest assured all their friends and loved ones have the perfect gift months ahead of time.

Then there are the rest of us. We face crowds of other last-minute gift-givers so we can check off all the names on our holiday list. All the while, we promise ourselves that this will under no circumstances happen again next year. Of course, it will.

The Red Cross can make the holiday procrastinators’ lives just a little easier by offering some gift ideas that will make everyone happy and support the Red Cross at the same time.

Baker’s Square- This December, Baker’s Square will donate $1 for every pie purchase with our coupon to the Red Cross.

Berry Chill- Join the Berry Chill “Culture Club” and the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago as your charity and they will donate 3% of each purchase you make back to the Red Cross.

Michigan Avenue Media- Author Marsha Cook and Michigan Avenue Media will donate a portion of their sales from select books to the Greater Chicago Red Cross. Books benefiting the Red Cross range from children’s books, comedy, and romance.

FTD.com- Now you can save 15% when you send flowers, plants, gifts and gift baskets from FTD – the most trusted name in the floral industry. Purchase through the www.ftd.com/redcrosschicago website to enjoy great savings, and 15% of the proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago. It’s an easy way to give back to the community while you save money at the same time.

Flowerpetal.com- Send flowers for that special occasion with flowerpetal.com and 12% of proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago.

Remember, the holiday season is the perfect time to make a donation that supports the Red Cross. Provide food and shelter for a disaster victim for a day. Donate a military comfort kit with a robe, phone card and other supplies for a wounded warrior. Or, give a family in another country that lost everything in a disaster a month of basic necessities.

No matter which way you choose to help, remember that in this season of hope and in these economic times, people want their gifts to really matter more than ever. To see more about these gifts that save the day, go here.

Find out more about Red Cross gift opportunities at www.chicagoredcross.org/fundraisers