12 Holiday Gifts To Fight Human Trafficking

12 Holiday Gifts To Fight Human Trafficking

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! This last-minute gift idea list will make your holiday shopping a breeze.

Between the gems of local Houston small businesses and the brands carried by our favorite chain stores, ethical products are very attainable for the average consumer. 

Local Businesses

One of my personal favorite spots to shop responsibly is at the 11th Street Market hosted by A 2nd Cup, Houston’s non-profit coffee shop working to end human trafficking.

This monthly market is a great opportunity to visit and meet the owners of ethically sourced small businesses and browse the large array of products offered at their booths.

While perusing various brands, I found a diverse list of gift ideas for every member of the family!

Au Naturals

1.  Au Naturals

 

For the environmentally conscious lovers of beauty, Au Naturals Body Care offers locally made products with unique recipes made from organic ingredients.

 

Gift Set: $55

2. Benschop + Beck

Benschop + Beck offers custom pieces to decorate your loved one’s home, and the one of a kind works of art are as unique as they are.

 

Benschop + Beck
Divercity

3. Divercity

 

You can show off your Houston pride with the eco-friendly brand Diverscity Clothing. The value of celebrating our city’s diversity is a core aspect of this local company.

 

Backpack: $50

4. Gold Clover Company

 

For fun accessories of all styles, Gold Clover Company has so much to choose from! Not only are you giving back to local businesses, but also the community with $1 from each purchase donated to The Bee Community.

Necklace: $54

 

Gold Clover Company
Redemption Song Foundation

5. Redemption Song Foundation

 

Redemption Song Foundation features handmade baskets, jewelry, and more to support growing healthy communities and sustainable practices in Uganda.

 

Green Lidded Basket: $10

6. Refuge For Women Gulf Coast

 

Check out these survivor-made gifts at Refuge for Women Gulf Coast! For those who don’t favor material gifts, consider sponsoring a room, which allows women survivors of trafficking and sexual exploitation to receive safe housing, counseling, and life and works skill development.

Large Warmer Winter Bundle: $40

 

Refuge for Women Gulf Coast

To view even more local businesses’ products and stories, visit the 11th Street Market webpage or visit in-store at A 2nd Cup.

Fair Trade Finds At Target

Target and Whole Foods are good places to find ethically sourced and responsibly manufactured products too.

Goodweave

7. Goodweave

 

Target partners with Goodweave to create opportunities for childhood education, fair working conditions, and sustainable practices in the textile industry.

8. Green Toys

 

Another Target partner, Green Toys, is the perfect brand to find recycled toys for children manufactured in the USA while guaranteeing fair labor and a responsible supply chain.

 

Rocket: $25

 

Green Toys
W3ll People

9. W3LL People

Ethical makeup and cosmetics can be a struggle to find, but W3LL PEOPLE provides natural, non-toxic, and cruelty-free beauty products at your local Target.

Environmentally friendly and sustainable ingredients paired with ethical labor practices by hand-making their products in the USA is a win-win for any consumer.

Lipstick: $15

10. Meow Meow Tweet

 

The bath and body products from Meow Meow Tweet in Target stores share the same mission with only organic and fair-trade ingredients while handmaking every product in the USA. An added bonus, the packaging contains no plastic and reduces environmental waste.

Candle & Soap Duo: $35

 

Meow Meow Tweet
Threshold

11. Threshold

 

Target also carries Threshold linens, towels, and certified bedding that are both organic and Oeko-Tex Certified to protect textile workers from commercial pesticides and toxic chemicals.

Blanket: $30

12. Equal Exchange

Equal Exchange can be found in multiple retailers, including Target! Their coffee and chocolate are fair-trade certified, which means they ensure ethical labor and sustainable practices in their supply chains.

Equal Exchange also supports small scale farmers in developing areas to foster growth in their communities and quality of life, so these treats are the perfect way for your loved one to indulge while giving back!

Solidarity Box: $50

 

Equal Exchange

Fair Trade At Whole Foods & Wal-Mart

Whole Foods

Whole Foods is the go-to spot for ethically sourced food and other products. Showing your love through treats and dishes made from responsibly sourced ingredients is a breeze with the quality standards, be certified or supported by an approved third-party verifier, come from a supplier with a transparent relationship to Whole Foods, and have a measurable and positive impact on workers in their supply chains, communities and the environment.

Even their flowers follow these fair trade specifications, so spice up your gifts with some naturally beautiful flourishes.

Wal-Mart

Walmart sports a new fashion brand, Free Assembly, with eco-conscious clothing items at affordable prices for everyone in the family!

 

Happy Shopping!

Whether you need clothes, accessories, art pieces, or sweet treats to put together for the fast approaching holidays, these brands offer everything you need and more! Our favorite stores are making it easier than ever to be an environmentally conscious and ethically sourced consumer with so many l products to choose from. Happy shopping!

A Chance to Give – Holiday Newsletter

A Chance to Give – Holiday Newsletter

The holiday’s are filled with family, friends, and community celebrating together. However, UAHT deals with the sad reality that there are victims of exploitation all around us, even during this wonderful season. Our role as an organization is to be the voice of those trapped in exploitation. You can help provide strength, support, and hope to individuals in our community.


A gift of $25.00 can provide incentive items for youth in our programs. Incentive items help UAHT build rapport and has been the difference between receiving disclosures and youth walking out the door


A gift of $50.00 or more can provide 10 Hygiene Kits with human trafficking information for our outreach on the streets of Houston. These kits provide more than essentials, each contains a hand written note bringing joy to those who receive them.


Awareness keeps our communities safe. Give the gift of peace knowing that $250.00 or more can provide 30 youth with critical prevention education.


Prevention is key to ending cycles of exploitation. A gift of $1,000.00 or more can help 30 youth create a safety plan as we walk them through our 5 module youth prevention program. This program helps youth understand that kindness can go a long way in the path to prevention.


A gift of $1,800.00 or more can provide our 10 module Real Talk program to individuals considered high-risk for exploitation yet remain unidentified. Give love this holiday season and help UAHT built trust with individuals to help them out of these exploitative situations.


If you would like to give a gift in honor of someone who has made an impact in your life, simply leave a note when you donate online along with their contact information. We will send them a letter informing them of your donation, and include the special note you provided. It’s the perfect gift for the anti-human trafficking advocate in your life!

A Note From Our Youth

“I learned that it’s very easy to get manipulated by somebody you don’t know. A lot of human traffickers look like a normal person and innocent”

“I was one of them. I stayed with him because it seemed like he cared about me and I never felt loved before but I knew it was too good to be true because he made me do all the drugs in the world. But I over came it and now I share my story to other girls and also the world.”

*To view our original publication, please visit http://mailchi.mp/uaht/a-chance-to-give*