Christmas is officially on the horizon, which means many of us are now realising: We have less than 30 shopping days left to get all our Christmas gifts.
So, before you go into a stress-induced shopping frenzy, attempting to make sure you get gifts for everyone while also trying to make them meaningful, here are some ideas, guaranteed to win you brownie points from everybody, while also contributing to a great cause!
The English Cake Company together with World Vision
Baked goods are an absolute staple for the season, and the English Cake Company is banking on it for a fantastic cause.
This Christmas, for every cupcake you buy from The English Cake Company, 50% of its price will be used to support 50 children (1-5 years) living with their mothers in eight prisons.
They are also providing you the opportunity to follow up on the good work that your contributions will be doing if you leave your contact details at the cashier, following which the company will get in touch with you with the good news.
Yohan Galapitage, who owns the company together with his wife Eli, spoke about his motivation to pursue such a cause in association with their business.
“We’ve done similar projects before where we didn’t really inform the customer that some of the proceeds will be given to charity, but this time we thought it might inspire the customer to know where their money is going and how it will possibly effect children in need,” he said.
He added: “When we partnered with World Vision, this particular cause really hit home for us because we too have children, and it was an extremely emotional experience to learn about what they go through.”
Yohan also said that they hoped to continue this all year round; to dedicate one particular item to a needy cause and provide follow-up information as they go, and this Christmas is merely a starting point.
Address: 2A, Sulaiman Terrace, Colombo 5
Call: 0112 501 344
Closes: 10 p.m.
Facebook: The English Cake Company – Colombo
Christmas with a cause with Habitat for Humanity Sri Lanka
Being a predominantly Christian foundation, Habitat is quite aptly holding their first seasonal fundraiser.
Speaking with the Communications and Resource Development Officer Kaavya Pathirana about the organisation and their motivation for such an event, she said:
“Habitat Sri Lanka, since 1994, has built more than 24,600 shelters for the impoverished in the country, and we’ve not conducted a fundraiser of this scale, where we allow the opportunity for small-scale businesses to truly be a part of a great cause, and so we are optimistic about this upcoming event.”
She added that the event will include fun activities for children and a variety of seasonal items to choose from and as of now, they have a number of stalls already allocated; so if you’re interested, then you better hurry.
Any businesses that are interested in participating can rent out a stall and support their business while supporting a worthy cause.
15 and 16 December, at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle, Kynsey Road, Colombo 8
Purchase a stall to support Habitat for Humanity Sri Lanka to build homes for families in need of a safe place to call home.
Call: 0773 340 971 or 0770 780 363.
Spa Ceylon Butterfly Paradise Festive Collection
This festive season, Spa Ceylon is celebrating the exotic natural beauty of Ceylon through their new Butterfly Paradise Collection.
They’ve created an anthology of limited edition packaging adorned with exotic butterflies from the tropical rainforests of Sri Lanka.
Our island is home to 245 species of exotic butterflies, 76 of which are currently under threat of extinction.
In an effort to help protect these butterflies and to support the conservation efforts in the rainforest regions, the brand will be donating a portion from the sale of every Butterfly Collection product to the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society and partnering with the organisation to create a “Butterfly Reserve” in the Wasgamuwa area in the North Central Province of the island.
And so, every time you purchase a product from this limited edition, you too will be actively contributing towards the conservation of these endangered exotic butterfly species.
Facebook: Spa Ceylon Luxury Ayurveda
Email: info@spaceylon.com
Call: 0112 338 111 or 0112 337 111
Tropic of Linen brings social consciousness to the forefront with ‘Pop-Up Paradise’
An event with a conscience, Pop-Up Paradise aims to stay true to the spirit of the season of giving, by bringing together mission-driven vendors and consumers; thereby hosting an artfully curated range of local merchants recognised for social consciousness.
Owner of Tropic of Linen Minha Akram is excited to be hosting a platform that will allow budding entrepreneurs to showcase their festive offerings.
“As a home-grown Sri Lankan brand, we are equally passionate about supporting others in this collective mission for a greater good. We hope that the appeal of shopping local for interesting seasonal finds will attract customers to ‘Pop-Up Paradise’. In the long term, we would really like to see that more shoppers are supporting local, small businesses.”
Pop-Up Paradise will take place on Sunday, 2 December from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Tropic of Linen’s flagship store at No.1, Wijerama Mawatha, Colombo 7.
Call: 0112 672 972
Facebook: Tropic of Linen
Nawaloka Hospital doctors – make a little heart happy this Christmas
Although this event is already over, we thought it inspiring to mention. Spearheaded by Dr. Vindya Dias Bandaranaike, Head of Department of Hospital Information and Management Nawaloka, in collaboration with Chaya Foundation, the sale, which happened on Sunday, 18 November at Racecourse, offered items made by little kids, which included handmade cards, bookmarks, t-shirts, notebooks, and much more.
All the proceeds collected will be going straight into a programme that will provide for a day out for children in three orphanages in Mirigama.
Speaking with Dr. Vindya about what prompted her to organise such an event, she said:
“It’s just my passion. I thought of making some kids happy this Christmas. We did a charity a few months ago where I saw for myself how happy those children were that day.”
She added: “Children are our future, and safeguarding their happiness is imperative moving forward.”
About how she went about organising the event, she mentioned:
“I have a friend who helps differently-abled children, so I was an active member in his foundation which influenced me to do something for children out of Colombo.”
Her plan is to reach these children’s homes under her collaboration with the Chaya Foundation so that, in the future, the children’s homes would have a source to contact when in need.
She said: “These are talented children that society should accept. I am advocating for these children to have equal rights and acceptance in the society we live in.”
Call: 0774 026 691, 0710 746 727 or 0710 741 727
Being a conscious consumer is not an easy choice. But every day, the money you spend, conscientiously, is a vote for the kind of world that we want to live in. Why not make that extra effort?
By Dimithri Wijesinghe
