GIFTS THAT GIVE BACK: 10 EXPERIENCES FOR YOUR LOVED ONES

Here at Spud, we’re all about supporting the greater good. Okay okay, in a less cheesy way, we strive to spend our money and resources wisely. To us, that means buying locally, investing in reusable products, and supporting our communities (like our local charities and the Food Stash Foundation). When it comes to the holidays, while we’re all for treating your loved ones to something glitzy now and then (because who doesn’t want that new shirt?), we love the idea of supporting experiences over material gifts. Here are 10 gifts that give back to provide your loved ones with personalized experiences, support your communities, and save time too!

10 Gifts That Give Back

1. The environmental activist: donate a certain amount to their favourite environmental organization. We suggest supporting Canadian organizations like Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS). Alternatively, if there’s a specific organization in your local community that aims to protect local parks, land, or resources, then support that! Your activist friend will thank you.
2. The artsy friend: a museum gift card, a gift card to your local craft shop, or a ticket to an upcoming art show. Possibilities are endless.
3. The outdoorsy one: a MEC gift card. They’ll thank you for all their upcoming outdoor experiences made easier. Alternatively, a season’s pass to their local mountain or hill for them to hike/ski/snowboard on.
4. The tech friend: here’s a list of Canadian renewable energy nonprofits. If they’re into cleaner energy, a donation to any of those is a gift they can get behind.
5. The music lover: tickets to an upcoming concert, a gift card to a local music store, or a donation to any local organization that supports kids’ music programs, perhaps.
6. The animal lover: a donation to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). When I was a kid, my grandma always donated to WWF on my behalf. This was a relatively easy gift for my grandma (it beat shopping in Toys R Us for the latest kid trend), and my 6-year-old self was stoked because I got a “pet” elephant. Win-win.
7. The food lover (AKA everyone?): a Spud gift certificate! They definitely won’t hate a weekly supply of fresh fruits and veggies… just sayin’. P.S. Another bonus, for every $100 spent on a gift card, we donate a hot meal to these local charities.
8. Your friend who’s always stressed: a massage. For something cheaper, anything lavender related or a face mask. Either works.
9. The busy parent: Ready to Eat Meals! Or “A Night Out”: you cover the babysitter and dinner. They’ll be eternally thankful.
10. The traveller: got someone in the family who’s got a constant case of the travel bug? Supply them with something to fund their next getaway. This could be a gift certificate to an airline/transit gift card (ex. a EuroRail gift card), an Airbnb gift card, or an Uber gift card.

Got ideas for other experiential gifts that give back? Let us know! We’d love to hear them.