Gift shopping stinks? Give manure this year

BOSTON, MA – October 19, 2009 – Ever thought of manure as the perfect holiday gift? Well, here’s your chance to select a unique gift for a friend and make a difference in the fight against poverty when you give through OxfamGifts.com. Organic manure ($12), one of more than 60 gifts in our catalog, is a green gift that transforms waste into power—agricultural power. It increases crop yields and is cheaper and safer than chemical fertilizers. So, show your loved ones that you really "give a $%@#" for our planet.

It’s simple: when you buy a gift at OxfamGifts.com, your loved one gets a card, and the money goes to those who need it most. You’ll find more than 60 gifts in our alternative gift catalog, many of them new this year. Your gift supports our efforts to provide lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and injustice in over 100 countries. 

In its fourth season, Oxfam America Unwrapped is introducing a new, easier-to-use website that links gifts to stories and videos that illustrate how your donation affects the lives of people around the world. In the ‘How your donation helps’ section of the site, visitors can learn about Oxfam America’s work around the world:

• Ethiopia’s Singing Wells is an inspiring short video about how the Borena people survive a harsh climate. Related Emergency Essentials gift: water purifier.
• In Donkeys to the Rescue, we learn how the people of Darfur found a safe way to earn a living in the midst of conflict. Related Animals gift: donkey.
• A heartwarming account from a seed bank in Gambia sheds light on how locals cope when food is scarce. Related Green gift: packet of seeds.

If stories like this strike a chord, at OxfamGifts.com, you can choose from a goat ($50), school desk and chair, ($35), mosquito nets ($18), and more. At prices that won’t break the bank, and an easy, convenient way to get your holiday gift shopping done online, Oxfam America Unwrapped is your answer to avoiding the excess of the holiday season.

All gift contributions are general donations to Oxfam America and are fully tax-deductible.

Oxfam America is an international relief and development organization that creates lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and injustice. To learn more, go to www.oxfamamerica.org.

**Note to editors: For camera-ready art or to speak with an Oxfam America spokesperson, contact Zeenat Potia at zpotia@oxfamamerica.org or 617-371-2721.