SIF 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Holly Sloane

Published on

November 12, 2017

Gifts with impact from the SIF portfolio

Along with falling leaves and dropping temperatures, the gift-giving season has arrived. This holiday season, give back while giving to family and friends! Whether you’re looking for something to bring to a party, put under a tree, or keep for yourself, the Social Innovation Forum’s portfolio of social impact organizations offers a variety of thoughtful goods and services that help support communities.

Alternatively, making a donation to an organization you're passionate about in the name of a family member or friend is a meaningful way to show you care. Happy holidays from the SIF team!

Artisan Products

A Little Easier Recovery - Jewelry

Any of the beautiful pieces in A Little Easier Recovery’s “Just Be You” Jewelry Collection would make a great gift for a jewelry lover. The pieces feature the "All In" symbol of support and strength. 100% of the net proceeds of every item sold goes directly to their programs that support advanced breast cancer patients.

Artisan’s Asylum - Handmade Crafts

Artisan’s Asylum, a community fabrication center in Somerville, supports and promotes the teaching, learning, and practice of fabrication in many mediums and styles. Click here to view their list of online shops and pages from member artists to support the local artist community. For the artist in your life, consider giving a membership to work in the Asylum space.

Transformative Culture Project - Photography

The Transformative Culture Project (formerly Press Pass TV) works with youth and adult artists to provide employment, promote education, and teach life skills; building social and economic power through creativity. Support Transformative Culture Project (TCP) and give the gift of professional photography: book an hour studio session with TCP photographers for family photos, headshots, or professional looks! If you’re planning a holiday party, consider renting a photobooth!

Project Repat - T-Shirt Quilts

Project Repat’s handcrafted, personalized T-Shirt Quilts are perfect for someone with an accumulation of old t-shirts. Project Repat makes it easy to give the gift of a T-Shirt Quilt, providing all the materials needed for your loved one to send in their favorite old t-shirts which will be sent back in the form of a beautiful, and practical, quilt just in time for winter snowstorms!

UTEC Woodworking - Cutting Boards

The young people employed by the UTEC Woodworking program use 100% reclaimed east coast hardwoods to produce beautiful, high-quality cutting boards. This gift comes in two sizes, which makes it the perfect addition to any kitchen.

Books & Subscriptions

More Than Words - Books

More Than Words, a nonprofit social enterprise that works to empower youth through business leadership, has an online bookstore featuring a vast collection of affordable books with something for every reader. They also offer in-store book bundles at their locations in Boston and Waltham. Visit their website more information about More Than Words, their work, and how to find them.

WriteBoston - Teens in Print Subscription

For the reader in your life, a yearlong subscription to the quarterly Teens in Print youth newspaper, a program of WriteBoston, is the gift that keeps on giving! Issues feature teen-written articles on topics ranging from immigration rights, neighborhood violence, and personal essays to restaurant and Netflix reviews - delivered to your home or office. To subscribe, please contact sarahpoulter@writeboston.org.

Fitness & Health

InnerCity Weightlifting - Apparel & Training Packages

Inner City Weightlifting, a gym with a mission to reduce youth violence, sells both workout apparel and training packages for all fitness levels. Give the gift of health while supporting ICW and its talented student trainers.

Janji - Running Apparel

Janji is a running and fitness apparel brand dedicated to helping solve the global water crisis. Janji's apparel features bold designs inspired by different countries around the world, and a portion of the profits from each sale goes to support access to clean drinking water in those same countries.

Coaching4Change - Apparel

Coaching4Change works with schools in low income areas to create high-quality after school programs; improving academic and social skills through sports, mentorship, academic support, and field trips. To show your support, contact emamarquis@c4cinc.org for details and pricing on limited addition apparel, including t-shirts and jackets.

The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute - Community Building Experience

Give the gift of inner peace with PeacePlay from the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, an expressive healing technique and useful tool to guide you on your life’s journey. This certificate, which may be purchased for $100, entitles a group of up to 10 to this experience. For more information or to schedule a session, contact wayne@ldbpeaceinstitute.org.

Home & Garden

Green City Growers - Gardening

For a gardening enthusiast, or even your friend who has yet to develop a “green thumb,” a gift certificate for an urban farming workshop or a book from Green City Growers will give them the unique opportunity to learn about creating their own food source for a more sustainable community.

Kids

ChopChop Kids - Cookbook or Magazine

The ChopChop Kids’ Cookbook or a ChopChop Kids’ magazine subscription is a fun gift that will teach children how to cook simple, healthy, and delicious meals.

Kinder Lab - Robotics Kit

Inspire a creative child with programming blocks and a buildable robot from KinderLab children’s robotics kits.

Specialty Food & Dining

City Feed and Supply - Craft Beer & Specialty Foods

For the beer connoisseur, a membership to City Feed and Supply's New England Craft Beer Share will provide them with a monthly package of four large format bottles of craft beer plus a locally produced food-pairing. City Feed and Supply’s selection of local natural foods and specialty groceries are great for friends visiting from out of state. For a local, a gift card would be perfect.

Haley House - Dining

Whether visiting Haley House Bakery Café for brunch on Saturday or eating delicious bakery items from the comfort of their own home, a gift card to Haley House is sure to bring joy to loved ones while supporting the mission of this Roxbury-based social enterprise café.

Life Alive - Dining

Life Alive provides organic, theraputic food options with local ingredients and a zero-waste mentaility. A gift card is the perfect choice for a free spirit looking for new flavors!

Café UTEC - Dining

Offering delicious options and a sustainable space to gather with friends, Café UTEC also serves as one of the Workplace Development and Social Enterprise programs of UTEC. With a gift card, treat loved ones to classic cafe fare.

Music & Theater

Tickets to see a play or show make a wonderful gift, especially during the holiday season. There are options to meet the interest of any friend or loved one.

Actors’ Shakespeare Project - Theater

Actors' Shakespeare Project uses the words of Shakespeare to inspire inspire civic dialogue.

Boston Children’s Chorus - Music

Boston Children's Chorus hosts numerous performances by an internationally recognized children's choir with a social mission.

Company One Theatre - Theater

Company One produces original, socially provocative performances representing the richness of Boston's diversity.

The Theater Offensive - Theater

The Theater Offensive is a nationally-awarded group representing diversity and LGBTQ+ perspectives and experiences through theater and the arts.

If you'll be hosting family and friends this holiday season, there are many more ways to incorporate impact into your festivities. Consider ordering catering from Life Alive, Café UTEC, City Feed and Supply, Fresh Food Generation, or Haley House. And make sure to check out Zumix, a program dedicated to building community through music and the arts, and their online music store featuring holiday albums and oportunities to book incredible musicians for your next holiday party.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Holly Sloane currently serves as a temporary Project Coordinator at the Social Innovation Forum, providing support for the 2017-2018 Social Innovator Accelerator selection process. She graduated from Emerson College in 2016 with her Bachelor of Arts in Writing, Literature, and Publishing.