Oxfam Urges Shoppers to “Be" the Gift They Give

BOSTON –Be helpful, be giving, and be caring.  Be the best thing to happen to a family and the best gift you’ve ever given when you do your holiday shopping with international relief and development organization Oxfam America.  This month, Oxfam launches its annual Unwrapped holiday gift-giving campaign encouraging shoppers to look for deeper meaning in the gifts they give, reminding shoppers that “You Are What You Give.”

“Gift-giving can be a thoughtful process that reflects on the giver as well as the recipient.  We think ‘you are what you give’ so why not give a gift that helps others and is fun at the same time?” said Stephanie Kurzina, vice president for development and communications at Oxfam America.  “Be a hardy pig, an income-generating vegetable garden, or an essential and productive tool.”

Oxfam’s Unwrapped catalog offers items that symbolically represent the organization’s lifesaving work, and each purchase is a contribution toward Oxfam’s many programs that help people living in poverty throughout the world.

“You can ‘be’ over 70 products offered at oxfamgifts.com.com. So this year, give a helpful gift with a little more meaning,” Kurzina said.  “You can be proud of the gift you give.  Your family, friend, or colleague receives a card explaining the good the gift does, and someone in need receives the help they need.”

Oxfam America’s 2012 holiday campaign will be featured nationally in an integrated marketing campaign including outdoor, print, and online ads, a social media presence on Facebook (www.facebook.com/oxfamamerica) and Twitter (@OxfamAmerica), and a video featuring comedian and actor Aziz Ansari which will air on television and the internet.

Oxfam America is offering a selection of gifts at a range of prices, including everything from goats and honey bees to books for kids and mosquito nets. All gift contributions are general donations to support Oxfam America’s mission of fighting poverty, hunger and injustice in over 90 countries around the world. Gifts are fully tax-deductible.  Visit OxfamGifts.com now to choose what you will ‘be’ this holiday season.

Camera-ready art and Oxfam America spokespeople are available to the press.

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