Each holiday season an unusual catalog arrives in my mailbox...
...the non-profit organization Heifer International's book of "Udderly" original gifts -- gifts of livestock that make a difference in the lives of poverty-stricken families around the world. And each year I send Heifer a check to cover a gift of honeybees, a share of a llama, or a trio of rabbits.
Heifer's mission is commendable: to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth. They accomplish this by giving cows, goats and other food and income producing livestock to impoverished families around the world. But it wasn't until I attended a recent conference in Little Rock, Arkansas, that I understood the full scale of this organization's impact.
The conference featured an optional trip to Heifer Ranch, a working farm and ranch with certified organic gardens and a conference and retreat center that promotes sustainable solutions to global hunger, poverty and environmental degradation. Because I wanted to learn more about Heifer International's work, I immediately signed up for the tour.
At Heifer Ranch, located on 1,200 acres in the midst of the beautiful Ouachita Mountains, visitors partcipate in seminars, service learning projects and in-depth educational experiences, giving them a better understanding of how their choices affect the world.
Ranch volunteer Berta Rieby met our bus as we arrived, then led us to a building where we'd watch a video narrated by Ed Asner that would tell us about Heifer's history. Heifer International, we learned, buys animals locally then trains people around the world in environmentally sound agricultural practices, integrating crops and animals. Heifer International bought the ranch in 1971 to educate people about the needs of the world.
After watching the video, we headed outside. The smell of fresh hay filled the air as we climbed aboard a wagon for a ride though Ranch property, winding along roads with evocative names such as "Pig Trail" and "Llama Loop." Rieby pointed out the conference center, the Show Barn, and the "Heifer Hilton Bunk Barn", a name fondly given to a dorm where volunteers sleep. She also showed us dairy and horse barns and pastures in which cattle, water buffalo, and llamas grazed.
As we headed back to our bus, Rieby said, "We think Heifer is about animals, but it isn't. Heifer is about people. We're trying to help people."
And so far, Heifer's done a remarkable job of that. I thought of how much prosperity and hope the gift of just one animal can bring to a family in need. This year, I decided, when I receive my catalog of "Udderly" original gifts, not only would I share it with my friends, but I'd add a gift of a goat to my order as well.
- Learn more about Heifer International by watching this three-minute video.
- Like to volunteer? Some 250 people volunteer at the Ranch each year. Learn how you can join them.
I recommend: Bill Clinton's inspiring new book, Giving. This book shows how we can all help to save lives or solve problems, no matter how much or how little we have to give.
Heifer International is featured in Chapter 7: Gifts that Keep on Giving. One of Heifer's unique concepts is "Passing on the Gift." Recipients of livestock are required to share some of the offspring their animals produce with others in need, multiplying Heifer's impact dramatically.
For example, in China, a project begun in the 1980s with 105 rabbits has generated hundreds of thousands of offspring that have helped more than 2,200 families.
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