Have Mercy! A great way to give

This Thanksgiving, give someone you have never met a reason to be grateful.

Mercy Corps, a humanitarian group headquartered in Oregon, has come up with Mercy Kits, neatly packaged ways to give according to the donor's special interests. This year, the organization is encouraging people to give charitable donations in honor of loved ones as holiday gifts.

"Many people seek ways to express their values in the kinds of gifts they give," said Joy Portella, Mercy spokeswoman.

For $35, you can buy the Family Garden Kit, which helps families to plant gardens and grow food in impoverished villages around the world. Already, Cecilia Lamunu and her children are learning to farm once more in northern Uganda. Twenty years ago, her husband was cut down by troops in a civil war that left the fields of their tiny farm red with blood. Lamunu and her surviving family fled to a displacement camp, where they spent seven long years away from their land.

The latest addition to the lineup is the Climate Change Kit. At $60, the effort funds youth training programs in climate-friendly, environmentally sustainable practices that help to preserve fields, forests and water.

I'm attracted to the Women's Small Business Kit. At $40, the package benefits entrepreneurs in developing countries in Central Asia. One success story is Nevenka Milhalovic, who started her own sewing business in Serbia after state-run factories closed down.
With a small grant, she bought two sewing machines -- one for herself and another for her husband, a laid-off factory worker.

A year later, she is selling directly to stores. Milhalovic recently received an order for 2,000 pairs of boys' trousers and is hiring several workers. To learn more about ways to help, visit http://www.mercycorps.org/