A Heifer For The Holidays
On Yesterday’s Open Range I shared ideas for unique Western holiday gifts I’m Susan Allen I’ll be back after the break to tell you about a catalog that Nieman Marcus can’t hold a candle to. Thursday program suggested that the ideal gift for the cowboy or cowgirl that has everything was their own Texas longhorn. In all seriousness though the perfect present for those hard to buy for could very well be a cow.. and I’ll go a step further ... the world would be better place if we all gave heifers for the Holidays. The Heifer International catalog has been dubbed the most important gift catalog in the world, its filled with cows, sheep, goats, llamas, bunnies even bee’s. Since 1944 the non-profit has used livestock and agriculture to fight hunger and poverty by teaching people to be self sustainable through the gift of a farm animal. Walter Cronkite was a stanch supporter, presidents Reagan, Clinton and both Bushes each gave Heifer humanitarian awards. Because the gift of just one cow or goat can evolve into a herd often, it's not only the child, or family but a village that ends up being blessed . Several years ago I too was deeply impacted upon receiving a note from Heifer International saying that a young girl in Africa was given a lamb in the name of my son Theo who had been killed in an accident. So if you’ve run out of ideas for Christmas presents pllease consider giving a cow, like a stone dropped into calm water the ripple effect of your one gift could be felt for years, helping to end poverty and despair.