Oxfam Ireland on locals to “support people and planet” as shops prepare to reopen for business

Go green this Christmas with Oxfam’s sustainable gifts
Power people this Christmas with Oxfam’s handmade gifts
Oxfam’s Christmas gift range: Something for young and old alike

This week, Oxfam Ireland shops around the country will reopen for business after six weeks of closure due to Covid-19. Like many other local businesses, this was the second time they had to close their doors this year – to protect staff, volunteers, and customers and play their part in Ireland’s response measures to save lives.

As they reopen their doors, Shop Mangers are encouraging people to give something precious this Christmas - a gift that supports both people and planet - buy picking up an ethical and sustainable present in-store.

Michael McIlwaine, Oxfam Ireland’s Head of Retail, said: "We are calling people to shop with purpose this year by visiting their local Oxfam shop and browsing our wide range of gifts that support both people and planet - from Unwrapped alternative gift cards to the beautifully unique ‘Sourced by Oxfam’ items. Each gift makes a lasting impact by supporting small traders the world over while helping to raise vital funds for Oxfam’s global work to beat poverty.”

Available online and in-store, there are new additions in Oxfam’s Unwrapped gift cards for 2020. The new range includes the Congratulations on your New Kid card (€15) that supports communities who depend on healthy animals for their livelihood as well as the Happy BEE-day card (€20), which provide brighter futures by helping parents earn enough to cover essentials like school fees. Or perhaps you’d prefer to give a Get Well Soon card (€5) that also helps give families who have lost everything access to clean water and decent sanitation to stop the spread of deadly diseases.

Meanwhile in-store, the Sourced by Oxfam range contains an abundance of festive food, gifts and homeware that are made with care, protect the planet, and help the women and men who produce them to earn a decent living – providing them with a way to lift themselves out of poverty. Present ideas new to this year’s gift range include more Fairtrade food choices like the Zambian Honey Gift Set (€17), colourful Handmade Embroidered Wash Bags (€11) and lots of notebooks, decorations and homeware like Brass Photo Holder Sets (€6) to keep those special memories safe.

Oxfam shops also have a range of great educational books for children and young people including the ABC of Kindness (€8) and Plastic Planet (€9), and fun Moomin Calendars (€11) to start making plans for 2021. And, for that someone in your life who is notoriously hard to buy for? Pick up a pair of cosy Thermal Socks (€8) (or Novelty Socks (€3) if that’s their thing) and a Matchbox Game or Puzzle (€6)!

McIlwaine concluded: “Every year we give and receive presents that we don’t necessarily need or want. This Christmas, we’re asking people to give something different by shopping more sustainably with us.

“Everything in our wide range of gifts is guaranteed to last much, much longer than the festive season, as all of them contribute to our mission to beat poverty for good by raising vital funds for our work across the world.

“From supporting development projects that transform communities, to saving lives through emergency responses in places like Yemen – where millions of people already on the brink of famine now face a deadly winter freeze – your gift will make a difference for people most in need and help to protect our shared planet.”

Commit to #GiveSomethingDifferent as one of your gifts this year by dropping into your local Oxfam shop.

Oxfam Ireland are aiming to have all of their shops in the Republic of Ireland back open for business this week - but ask people to contact their local shop to confirm opening hours.

To find the Oxfam shop nearest to you, visit oxfamireland.org/shops

To see Oxfam’s full range of Unwrapped gifts, visit oxfamireland.org/unwrapped

To browse Oxfam’s online Christmas shop, visit shop.oxfamireland.org/

ENDS

CONTACT

Caroline Reid | caroline.reid@oxfam.org | +353 (0) 87 912 3165

Alice Dawson-Lyons | alice.dawsonlyons@oxfam.org | +353 (0) 83 198 1869

NOTES TO THE EDITOR:

Last year alone, the generosity of people shopping at Oxfam, especially at Christmas time, raised enough money to fund life-changing projects that positively impacted the lives of 7.9 million people across 10 countries – including supporting women to develop businesses and earn an income, getting safe, clean water to people in desperate need, and helping communities prepare for extreme weather events.
For example, Zaytoun's Fairtrade Extra Virgin Olive Oil is sourced from family-owned olive groves in Palestine. Zaytoun is an award-winning social enterprise where 100 percent of profits are reinvested into furthering their mission of supporting Palestinian farmers by paying a fair price - enabling them to fund community projects and invest in farming tools.
Each of the Unwrapped gifts represent one of four funds – Livelihoods, Saving Lives, Water for All, or Investing in Futures – and all money raised through the sale of Unwrapped cards/e-cards will go toward the relevant fund and help Oxfam's work worldwide. For more information on Unwrapped
Selection of images free for use: https://oxfam.app.box.com/folder/126328474483?s=jxbn842rn9o2jteynvkzof8zzka502gh