"Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime." -Author Unknown

Heifer International is a unique charitable organization that not only helps relieve world hunger, but teach life lessons and self-reliance. Instead of giving money to the needy, Heifer International gifts livestock providing lifetime nourishment. Not only are its recipients taught valuable lessons in agriculture and livestock, but also they use their gifts to help the community and get ahead financially.

Established in 1944, Heifer International's goal has been to help end global poverty and starvation while caring for the earth and the project's recipients. Over the last 63 years, Heifer International has helped over 8.5 million families in more than 125 countries.

As opposed to other relief organizations that provide immediate medical or financial care, Heifer International gives a gift of an animal. This organization works so exquisitely because each family who receives an animal agrees to pass on its first offspring to another needy family. In addition to that offspring, they pass along their knowledge. In affect, your original contribution has a pyramid affect touching countless families.

When a family receives an animal, after gifting its first offspring, they can sell the second offspring for money. They can also sell their animals products. For example, if you were to gift a heifer, for $500, or a share of a heifer for $50, the family could use the it's milk to survive, pass along the calf to another struggling family, and since a cow can produce up to four gallons of milk per day, sell excess milk at the market to provide food, housing, medicine and school supplies for their children.

I was first introduced to Heifer International while teaching Sunday school. We would collect the children's Sunday offering throughout the year, and near the end, we'd allow the children to pick out what animals they would like to send across seas to help struggling children. The kids took great thought into how they would like to contribute.

This charity worked so wonderfully for them because they saw how their money was actually helping other people. We'd explain by purchasing a hive of bees for $30, struggling families could collect wax and honey to sell at market to pay for medicine and food. We also explained how bees pollinate other flowers and plants so one hive could essentially double a farmer's crops in just one year

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