18 Sweet Gifts That Give Back

The only thing better than a thoughtful gift is a thoughtful gift that gives back. Whether it’s supporting Canadian wildlife, building peace or helping women and children around the world, here are 18 gift ideas that do just that.

Specialty Beeswax Candle in Saffron, $75

This delicate, cinnamon-scented beeswax candle was hand-poured by a Mexican woman whose family has been making candles for generations. Sold by Obakki, a Vancouver-based lifestyle brand, all profits are directed into Obakki’s philanthropic arm, which supports development programs and access to clean water in communities around the world.

Plan Canada Food Basket, $50

This food basket from the Canadian children’s charity—which operates in nearly 80 countries—will be distributed to pregnant women and mothers of young children. It’s full of pantry staples, including dried beans, sugar, fortified cereal and cooking oil.

Purdys Dear Santa Bar, $6 for 85 g

Team Chatelaine loves Purdys chocolate, and we especially love the Dear Santa Bar. Two dollars from every purchase of this milk-chocolate-and-toffee-bit bar will be donated to a local children’s healthcare partner based upon the buyer's location.

UNICEF Plumpy’Nut®, $16 to $55

This holiday, make a lasting impact on a child's life with a UNICEF Plumpy'Nut® Survival Gift®. Malnourished children need to gain weight fast and this lifesaving, tasty peanut-based and micronutrient enhanced therapeutic food could help a child gain up to two pounds per week. With every Survival Gift purchased, you help UNICEF reach more children in urgent need in the world's most challenging places. Shop now and get a free card with every order.

Milkjar Shower Steamers in Woodland, $30 for eight

Give the gift of escape with this woodsy shower steamer set, featuring eucalyptus and cedar essential oils. A portion of the proceeds from all products sold by this Calgary-based brand—primarily known for its delicious smelling candles—help non-profits that support inclusion and safe workplaces. To date, the company has donated more than $366,000.

Save The Children Gifts Of Joy Goat And 2 Chicks, $75

Give a gift that not only brings joy, but also provides an essential daily supply of milk and eggs to help nourish growing families. Save the Children's Gifts of Joy help provide practical help and life-saving aid to those around the world who need it most. From helping keep girls in school through cash grants to empowering them to prioritize education over early marriage, your gifts can truly change a child's life.

Cuddle + Kind Baby Gingerbread In Powder Pink, $45

Hand-knit in Peru and Nepal, Cuddle + Kind’s adorable soft toys are made with pure cotton wool and stuffed with hypoallergenic fluff. With each purchase, Cuddle + Kind donates five meals for children in 64 countries around the world through World Food Program USA, Children’s Hunger Fund and Breakfast Club of Canada. 

Stocking Surprise For SickKids Patients, $35

Bring comfort, joy and distraction to patients at SickKids with a Get Better Gift and you'll ensure there's a special surprise for every child spending their holiday at the hospital. This donation comes with a free eCard or printable card to include a personalized message and can be directed to the area at SickKids most meaningful to you. This gift also supports the Child Life Events Fund, which makes sure that holiday magic reaches all patients this season.

Toques From The Heart Classic Toque, $50

This made in Canada acrylic toque comes in 14 colours (perhaps unsurprisingly, we’re partial to the hot pink). For each toque purchased, one is given to a Canadian experiencing homelessness in cities across the country.

Celiac Support Care Package, from $20

Celiac Canada’s “Care Package” offers government advocacy for safer, affordable gluten-free foods, essential resources like “Newly Diagnosed” and “Growing Up Celiac” guides, access to a staff dietitian and groundbreaking research toward a cure. Each donation builds a brighter future, helping those with celiac disease thrive with community support and understanding.

Comeback Snacks Popcorn Sampler, $65 for 10 225-g bags

Comeback Snacks’ flavoured popcorns are incredibly delicious, and company founder Emily O'Brien has an inspiring backstory. While incarcerated, she noticed how some of her fellow inmates were able to make delicious and inventively flavoured popcorns while staying within their food budget. When she left prison, she founded Comeback Snacks. The company employs people with criminal backgrounds and also donates a portion of its profits to organizations that facilitate reintegration programs, prison reform and recidivism reduction.

CanadaHelps Holiday Gift Guide, starting at $10

For a meaningful gift for everyone on your list, turn to the CanadaHelps Holiday Gift Guide. Each gift represents tangible ways that charities are making a difference this holiday season, including feeding people in need, providing education, protecting and caring for animals and much more.

Peace By Chocolate Artisan 48 Peace Box, $63

Peace by Chocolate was founded by a Syrian family who immigrated to Antigonish, NS after operating a chocolate company in Damascus for nearly 30 years. This stunning box of chocolates includes chai spice truffles, dark chocolate caramel squares and mango-filled white chocolate domes, and three to five percent of profits go to the company’s Peace on Earth Society, which funds peace building projects around the world.

WWF Seed Ornaments, $18 each (on sale!)

A seed ornament from WWF is truly a gift that keeps giving. Choose from either sunflower seeds or a mix of plant seeds native to southern Ontario, including common milkweed and wild bergamot. Aside from proving plants for pollinators, each purchase of a plastic-free, recyclable ornament supports the conservation work of WWF, which includes regenerating ecosystems that provide homes for wildlife and also sequester carbon.

Save the Ocean, Save the Earth Cotton Long Sleeve, $65

Let them wear their values on their sleeve with this made in Toronto organic cotton pre-shrunk sweatshirt. Five dollars from every purchase will be donated to Sea Shepherd, which protects marine wildlife from illegal fishing worldwide.

Student Backpack, $75

Many youth in child welfare face barriers to education, often lacking essential resources. This gift provides a backpack filled with school supplies to support a student starting college or university. Thanks to Joe and Laurissa Canavan, your gift will be matched, doubling its impact for children and youth.

Birds and Beans Snow Bunting Christmas Blend, $18

Industrial coffee production has a huge environmental impact, from the destruction of tropical forests to the side effects of pesticide use—both of which impact migratory birds. If you have an avid birder on your list who also loves coffee, a pound of bird-friendly coffee is the perfect gift.

As Brett Tryon writes in our bird-friendly coffee explainer, the bird-friendly certification program, which was created by the Migratory Bird Center, a branch of the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, DC "is the most stringent [coffee] certification because it is both certified organic and truly shade grown... With strict criteria and regular inspections, the Smithsonian can verify that participating farms are organic and provide habitat for birds and wildlife."

This Snow Bunting Christmas Blend from Birds and Beans—a Etobicoke, Ont.-based coffee roaster that specializes in Bird Friendly coffee—has notes of chocolate, mandarin orange, toffee and candy cane.