Happy Thanksgiving Brothers and Sisters

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I know the stores are opening at 5am on Friday and the pressure to be out there participating in our consumer culture feels a little bit stronger than what meth addicts experience when they miss a fix, but if you do have the will to resist the borg (and especially WalMart, its queen), here are some shopping alternatives to consider for Friday and the entire gift-giving season, which officially begins today!

Hunger Site - This is my favorite site.  I buy stuff here all the time and am never disappointed.   With one click, you have access to the Hunger Store as well as stores that help animals, literacy, the fight against breast cancer, the fight for child health programs and the rainforests.   Sign up to remind yourself to click daily on the charity of your choice's button to donate food and funds.  And look around the various catalogs.  There are a ton of beautiful, fair trade gifts in each of them.  Consider getting one of the Mercy Kits:  feed an African infant, help get clean water to people who need it, vaccinate a camel.  It beats WalMart.   Added bonus: the Hunger Site is affiliated with my favorite relief organization,

Kiva - lets you make loans to small businesses in East Africa.  Yes, you get your money back!  It's the gift that keeps on giving  ... back ... to you!  Last year at this time there were no businesses in need but that has changed and there are plenty.   Get in on that microfinancing ground floor before everyone is doing it!  There could be a Nobel Prize in it for you. *

Project Heifer  - Everyone knows about Heifer.  Give bees, rabbits, geese, trees and, of course, heifers.

Adopt a wolf, jaguar or other endangered animal at Defenders of Wildlife.  I like them because they are working to stop aerial gunning of wolves.  You can also adopt an animal through African Wildlife Foundation, which gets a better rating at Charity Navigator.

Happy Thanksgiving!

*there will be no Nobel Prize in it for you