Wrap Up Report | Hands On Atlanta Week 2019

For our 30th anniversary (yes, it’s been 30 years of Hands On Atlanta!) we really wanted to do something big. We wanted to celebrate our organizations roots in community service, while also looking into the future to see what our role in making Atlanta the most equitable and civically engaged city in the world! We turned our annual day of service into Hands On Atlanta Week - marking Oct. 5-12 as the city’s largest week of service!

Powered by the support of our sponsors, including our presenting sponsor, Delta Air Lines, and in partnership with more than 50 of our nonprofit partners, we hosted or promoted over 250 volunteer projects or social good events during Hands On Atlanta Week!

Volunteer projects ranged from the massive, like 5,000 Atlanta Hawks fans packing 1,000,000 meals inside of State Farm Arena, to the small, but mighty projects like 25 volunteers from Accenture working hard to beautify Lindsey Street Park over in English Ave. Projects covered the innovative with 48in48’s skills based hack-a-thon for good and the spontaneous with the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) kit build pop-up project at the Atlanta Beltline Center on the east-side trail. Impact events like The Race Half Marathon and 5k, The Human Rights Film Festival at Morehouse and the 2nd Annual Atlanta Senior Day saw thousands of attendees and hundreds of volunteers! There was a ton of good happening during Hands On Atlanta Week, click here for a full list of all of our partners and projects.

In total, more than 10,000 ATLiens did something good, serving over 30,000 hours! The impact went viral online as well, as almost 25,000 visitors came to our website surpassing 1,000,000 social media impressions. Take a look at what some community leaders had to say (and do) during Hands On Atlanta Week…

“I had the BEST time this morning with the Pajama Program. My heart is so FULL!
I’m really glad I was able to participate…so much so that I signed up to be a Reading Buddy Plus!! It’s an extension of the Pajama Program where volunteers are paired with a child, and they read together on the 4th Monday of each month. I’m super excited about this.
”

— Employee at OneDigital

“It was a fantastic day and you all did a fantastic job! We are so grateful for your leadership, hard work, and super positive energy! Everyone here is talking about how good everything looks — thanks to you! Mr. Charles Robinson joins me in saying “Thank You!” for everything.
”

— Shirley Coleman, Director of Development and Marketing, Sadie G. Mayes

Check out Delta’s 30th Kaboom! Build at KIPP Soul Primary School with 250 Delta employees and community members!

Go behind the scenes of a day at the Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta with the team from iVision.

Thank You!

There are quite literally thousands of people we’d like to thank for helping pull off the city’s largest week of service! If you volunteered, attended an event, hosted an event or project, shared with your network, even if you just thought about doing something good… thank you!

Volunteering isn’t free and we couldn’t do this work without the generous support of our corporate sponsors. Thank you

• Presenting Sponsor - Delta Air Lines

• Visionaries - Fiserv, Norfolk Southern, State Farm

• Changemakers - Coca-Cola, Global Payments

• Leaders - Atlanta Hawks, Change Healthcare, Lexis Nexis, Mercedes Benz, UPS

• Advocates - Accenture, Alston and Bird, BakerHostetler, BDO, Cognizant, Center for Community Progress, D-Mack Agency, Dell, Deloitte, iVision, Manhattan Associates, Northside Hospital, OneDigital

Feeling Inspired?

Good! Now, get out there and do something good! Click the button below to view our entire calendar of opportunities, with projects everyday, that you can sign up for right now.

Hands On Atlanta Week 2019 | Service Guide

It’s no secret, Atlanta sets the standard for civic engagement, it’s in our DNA. Our history is full of people and organizations who weren’t afraid to stand for making things better; which built the Atlanta we have today. 

So, on Oct. 5 - 12, 2019, we’re rallying the Atlanta community - companies, nonprofits, community partners, events, and our network of changemakers - to help live Atlanta’s legacy. The best part? We want you and 10,000 ATLiens to join in for a week of good!

Here’s how you can get involved:

Volunteer

Thanks to our incredible sponsors, like Delta Air Lines, our nonprofit and community partners, there are a bunch of ways you can volunteer during Hands On Atlanta Week! When I say a bunch, I mean literally hundreds of ways. Check out these featured projects happening on Saturday Oct. 5:

• 1 Million Meal Pack with the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm!

  • Sign up as a Support Staff volunteer for this Signature Hands On Atlanta Week Kick-Off project and help 5,000 volunteers pack 1,000,000 meals for Atlanta families!

• 48in48

  • Sign up to use your creative talents for good and help 48in48 build 48 websites for 48 nonprofits in a 48 hour hack-a-thon for good!

• The Race Half Marathon and 5K

  • Sign up to help this unique and community focused road race where runners pass through Atlanta, GA's historical Westside neighborhoods!

Click the button below to explore ALL of the volunteer opportunities happening on our calendar the week of Oct. 5 - 12, 2019.

Do Something Good

Hands On Atlanta Week is about civic engagement and getting as many ATLiens as we can (with a goal of 10,000!!) out in the community doing something good.

• Beltline Pop Up

  • On your stroll down the Beltline’s East Side trail on Saturday, Oct. 5, stop in the Beltline Center and help assemble STEAM kits that will be donated back to students at our partner schools!

• Host/Attend a Civic Dinner

  • This October, Civic Dinners will launch The Lovable City conversation in 100 cities across the United States. Join residents and civic leaders as they gather around the dinner table to co-create a better future for their city.

• Answer College and Career Readiness Questions

  • Sign up for CareerVillage.org and help students get advice on their next step. You can help students at your convenience from anywhere! Click here to get started.

• Live on Purpose

  • Sign up to get weekly notifications from Purposity and help support needs in our local community from verified nonprofits. If you want to help, it takes less than a minute! Click here to learn more.

But wait, there’s more…

Looking for some issue education and to learn more about some of the challenges facing our community and the solutions to solve them? Check out these must attend happenings around town during Hands On Atlanta Week.

• Attend the Center for Civil and Human Rights

  • Click here to get exclusive $12 tickets to the Center for Civil and Human Rights during the entire Hands On Atlanta Week!

• Attend the Inaugural Human Rights Film Festival at Morehouse

  • Check out (or volunteer with) the Human Rights Film Festival at Morehouse on Oct. 10-12. Experience film submissions from across the globe, right here in the heart of Atlanta! Click here to learn more.

• Attend Atlanta Pride and Festival

  • Oct. 11-13, the Atlanta Pride Committee will host the annual Atlanta Pride parade and festival to support the LGBTQ community. Show your pride and them serve as an advocate of and resource to gender and sexually diverse communities in Atlanta. Click here to learn more.

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For a full list of volunteer opportunities, community and corporate partners, visit www.handsonatlantaweek.org. We’d love it if you shared Hands On Atlanta Week with your network and we’ve made it really easy for you. Click here to check out our marketing toolkit and thank you for sharing!

Hands On Atlanta Week to Shine a Light on Community Changemakers

Hands On Atlanta, with presenting sponsor Delta Air Lines, will inspire an impactful week of service, highlighting the people, organizations, companies and events doing good across metro Atlanta.   

For over 25 years, the first Saturday of every October has become synonymous with Hands On Atlanta Day, the city’s largest, single day of service. For 2019, the first Saturday in October will kick-off the largest week of service, with a goal of engaging 10,000 Atlantans to do something good.

Whether you’re a part of an organization or event in need of volunteers, a company with a passion to create positive impact, a changemaker with a desire to change your community, Hands On Atlanta Week wants to elevate your reach to maximize the impact.

“Civic engagement is at the core of the Atlanta culture, it’s in our DNA. We believe Hands On Atlanta Week will become the open platform for the next generation of changemakers to solve the growing, complex challenges facing our communities and inspire everyone across metro Atlanta to do something good,” said Jay Cranman, Hands On Atlanta President and CEO.

There will be over 150 service projects happening from Oct. 5-12, 2019, “pop-up” projects at community hotspots along the Atlanta Beltline, at the tailgate of the GSU  vs. Arkansas State football game, and more. Delta Air Lines will host a KABOOM! playground build for employees and members of the neighboring community. Volunteers can support festivals like Atlanta Pride or the A3C Festival and Conference, seniors during the Second Annual Senior Day at the Home Depot Backyard. Volunteers can serve with their skills during a “hack-a-thon” for good at 48in48 and for those wanting a more intimate experience, you can host or attend a meaningful conversation through Civic Dinners. These are just a few of ways the Atlanta community can participate in Hands On Atlanta Week. 

Hands On Atlanta Week will take place from Saturday, Oct. 5 through Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019. Get your company, organization, or event involved, and/or serve with your family and friends!

Atlanta top muralists join forces on MLK Day

Photo by John Spink Sr. for the AJC

Ten Atlanta artists join forces to creating mural at Frederick Douglass High School on Atlanta’s westside during the King Holiday on January 21, 2019. Organized by Atlanta artist Charmaine Minniefield, the mural is sponsored by Spelman College for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service with Hands On Atlanta.

The project will return the portrait of Douglass originally painted in 1972 by then art teacher, Mr.William Murray to the school. Mr. Murray will be present on Monday to meet the artists and to lend a hand. The project features some of the city’s most prolific artists, including Fabian Williams (Occasional Superstar), Joe Dreher (Joe King ATL), Sachi Rome, Lauren Pallotta Stumberg (Think Greatly), Michael Jones (Letter 75), Angela Davis Johnson, Krista Jones (Jonesy), Shannon Willow and Sean Irving (BlesOne aka DeeJay Rebellion).

All artists are donating their time, and leftover paint from murals past, to model community service and civic duty on the 2019 MLK Day of Service. Hands On Atlanta volunteers, Spelman College students, and Clark Atlanta University students will join the team on the day as well. Over the weeks to follow, artists will work with former Frederick Douglass HS art teacher Murray, current art teacher Dr. Mark Jones and students to complete the wall.

The Frederick Douglass High School Alumni Association, Frederick Douglass Ole School, staff and faculty will host this mural project during the 200th anniversary of the birth of abolitionist namesake Frederick Douglass to return the portrait of Douglass to the campus grounds after renovations covered its original image a few years back. Frederick Douglass High School is the alma mater of Atlanta’s Mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms. Minniefield worked with non-profit, fiscal sponsor Culture Centers International to bring attention, support, and talent to this important effort as a continuation of its Westside Murals project which seeks to preserve important Atlanta cultural histories and legacies in the community through public art and creative programming.

This wall is the fourth wall in this series now on the Westside. The first, which honored Adrienne McNeil Herndon, was sponsored by DoSomething.org, Spelman College and Hands On Atlanta last year during the King Holiday on the Atlanta BeltLine Westside Trail. Since, other walls include a wall on the Adair Park Trail of the Atlanta BeltLine which honors Carrie Steel, matriarch and founder of the Carrie Steel Pitts Home for Children; and most recently the wall for Civil Right hero Ruby Doris Smith-Robinson, sponsored by the WonderRoot Off The Wall Project for the upcoming Super Bowl.

As an artist, arts administrator and producer for over 20 years, Charmaine Minniefield has worked with such arts organizations as the National Black Arts Festival, the King Center, Fulton County Department of Arts and Culture, Flux Project and the High Museum of Arts. She was a recent feature in the Mercedes Benz Greatness Lives Here Initiative and has been doing murals in schools during the King Holiday for many years with Hands On Atlanta. Minniefield states, “I am excited to collaborate with this group of amazing Atlanta artists. It is an honor to stand with as artist activists, working in communities as an example act of service during the King Holiday.

This is an exciting time in our city’s history. Each year during the King Holiday, we honor the shoulders on which we stand--the freedom fighters, the abolitionists, the suffragists, the organizers of resistance--who have come before us and are inspired by their example to use our work and our voices to affect change today.”

Participating Artists:

·       Fabian Williams (Occasional Superstar)

·       Joe Dreher (Joe King ATL)

·       Sachi Rome

·       Lauren Pallotta Stumberg (Think Greatly)

·       Michael Jones (Letter75)

·       Angela Davis Johnson

·       Krista Jones (Jonesy)

·       Shannon Willow

·       Sean Irving (Bro Sean aka BlesOne)

·       Charmaine Minniefield

Serve your neighbor being affected by the shutdown

An important letter from Kyle Waide, President and CEO, Atlanta Community Food Bank

The current government shutdown is now the longest in U.S. history. Georgia’s federal employees and contractors are feeling the immediate impact. Roughly 16,000 of our neighbors have either been furloughed or required to work without pay since the shutdown began four weeks ago.

Many of these families are faced—for the first time—with impossible choices between food and other necessities, like housing, transportation and medication. During the past week, we've seen a 383% increase in searches for help on our website. We've heard from local TSA workers who have never had to ask for food assistance. And we've talked to multiple feeding partners who are reporting an increase in the number of people they serve daily.

The Atlanta Community Food Bank is proactively working to support impacted federal employees and contractors. We may see many more in the coming days if this shutdown continues. If you or someone you know is met with the new challenge of putting food on the table during the shutdown, please the ACFB Government Shutdown relief page to find help.

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The Atlanta Community Food Bank and it’s partner food pantries need your help more than ever. The increased demand for food means there’s even more need for volunteers to support these distribution efforts. It’s time to step up and serve.

Host a Civic Dinner and Bridge the Racial Divide

Nothing brings people together quite like a good meal. For me and my family, it was my grandma’s world-famous (well, southeast Michigan famous) spaghetti that almost always drew a large crowd. Now, I know here in the south the food has a little more soul, but there’s something about sharing the joy of a full belly that allows family, friends, and complete strangers to come together around the dinner table, to share in conversation.

Our family at Hands On Atlanta is no different. Every year on the Sunday before MLK Day, we host our annual Signature Sunday Supper. We’re joined by corporate and community leaders, activists, teachers, and students to share with each other, often around a principal or vision of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Our 2019 Signature Sunday Supper is sold out, but this year we’re going really big and want you to join the conversation.

We’re teaming up with The King Center, Civic Dinners and Mailchimp to help launch a national conversation around Bridging the Racial Divide, with a goal of getting 1,000 Civic Dinners to happen all across the United States! While the campaign officially kicks-off on Sunday, January 20 at our Signature Sunday Supper, we’re hoping to secure 53 Civic Dinners in Atlanta through February, in honor of the 53rd edition of [insert alternative name for a really big, huge and awesome football game here].

How it Works

The way a Civic Dinner works is super simple. You’ll start with introductions, and then get into three big questions, with one voice at a time, and equal time to share. While everyone loves to talk, you are there to listen far more than speak. And most importantly, you should share from your heart, be real, and be kind.

Your Role as a Host

As a host, your main role is setting a date, a time and location for friends, neighbors and colleagues to gather together over food and follow the simple conversation guide Civic Dinners created for Bridging the Racial Divide.

Here are just a few things to keep in mind as a host:

• Select a date register your dinner on civicdinners.com/theracialdivide

• Dinners can be in homes or restaurants (like at partners King + Duke or Miller Union)

• Everyone pays for their own meal or brings a dish if it is potluck, so there is

  no cost burden on the host

• The Host Guide (you’ll receive after sign up) includes all prompts and questions that guide the conversation so you can sit back, relax and listen as you follow the guide

• Civic Dinners are designed to be inclusive, so try to invite diverse voices to

  the table to create a robust conversation

• Remember to share photos with @handsonatlanta, @thekingcenter and @CivicDinners using the hashtag #bridgethedivide

• After the dinner, Civic Dinners will follow up with guests with a survey link to

  share their reflections, ideas and actions with The King Center to inform a

  national report on how we can bridge the racial divide

Get Started

Signing up to host a Civic Dinner is easy! It’ll take you just a few minutes to get set up and start inviting your network. Don’t feel like hosting, but want to attend? Perfect. There are plenty of open dinners you can join. Don’t wait, start planning your Civic Dinner now.

A Beginner’s Guide to Volunteering in 2019

According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, in 2018, more than 1.2 million metro Atlanta volunteers contributed 105 million hours of service, worth an estimated $2.5 billion. Woah. Additionally, 42% of metro Atlanta residents do favors for their neighbors and more than half of y’all donated $25 or more to charity. Give yourself a high five!

If you're feeling inspired and looking to make right on your new year’s resolutions, we’ve got you covered with our Beginner's Guide to Volunteering. Whether you're a seasoned, volunteer pro, or just getting started, check out these tips and fun ways to do something good in 2019.

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Make Time

Just like anything else in your life, if it’s not on your calendar, it’s probably not happening. You might have blocked time for the gym, to read that book, learn to cook, or to spend more time with your family, but don’t forget about scheduling time to volunteer! Simply adding time to your calendar is a great first step. Once you’ve set time aside, then you can browse our calendar of volunteer opportunities for projects Monday-Saturday.

Short on time? We get it, but don’t sleep on CareerVillage.org, where with just a few minutes of your time, you can answer career and college readiness questions for opportunity youth across metro Atlanta and beyond. Pro tip: This is a great time filler while running/walking on the treadmill.

Finally, you can take giving back with you by downloading Purposity’s free (and super slick) mobile app. Get one weekly notification of a need in our community, read their story and decide if you want to help, all from your phone.

Use Your Skills

Volunteering is more than painting a wall or planting trees (while important and bring a ton of positive impact to the community) and the need for skills-based volunteers is on the rise. Are you a lawyer, accountant, web developer…or have any kind of specific skill? The Atlanta nonprofit community needs your help!

A great first step is to reach out to an organization you’ve volunteered with in the past or would like to volunteer with in 2019 and ask if they could use your help.

[Insert phantom coughing noise here] we have a ton of skills-based volunteer needs here at Hands On Atlanta! For example, we’re looking for handy volunteers who can help write the instructions and do the assembly of beds and bedroom furniture for homeless and low income children.

Looking for something ASAP? To celebrate MLK Day, the United Way is hosting a Day of Innovation and looking for skills based volunteers to think up innovative solutions for some of our communities’ most complex problems.

On January 25-27, our buds at 48in48.org are organizing a 48-hour Super Service event and they’re looking for marketing and tech pros to help build 48 websites for 48 local nonprofits.

Why dip your toes when you can belly smack your way into skills-based volunteering!

Serve With a Friend

Whether out at a movie or on the bike path, having a partner in crime is always more fun. Bringing your bestie, a co-worker, or a significant other with you volunteering is the best. Check out these fun, daily, group friendly opportunities you can sign up for now:

• Books for Africa – Hang indoors and pack boxes of books for children in Africa. Volunteers as young as 12 can serve and they can accommodate groups up to 40!

• Dad’s Garage – Help out Atlanta’s top improv theater by checking ID’s, running the line at the bar, scanning tickets, ushering and more. The best part? You get to see the show for free! This is one of our more popular opportunities and they go quick.

• Trees Atlanta – It will eventually stop raining… and when it does, you should totes help care for plants and projects around town with Trees Atlanta. They offer daily, morning and afternoon shifts, and plenty of fun.

Make New Friends

So, you’re new in town (welcome!) and swiping through your apps to meet someone new has grown old? Give volunteering a try. There’s no better way to meet good people than at a service project. Check out our TeamWorks! program and join our next Kick-Off on January, 26 for a fun and borderline competitive series of volunteer projects.

Our pals at Community Bucket have monthly service projects for young professionals that come stocked with a post event social and the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network have bi-monthly volunteer events as well. No need to be a member to join, just more good people, doing good.

Want to try something different? You can create a space for people of diverse backgrounds to connect and come together to solve some of our city’s toughest challenges by hosting a Civic Dinner.    

Make A Difference

Here in Atlanta, 3 out of 4 children considered “economically disadvantaged” are not reading on grade level by the 3rd grade. This is major because 3rd grade is the turning point for students when they start reading to learn and shift from learning to read.

There are lots of ways to help with these literacy challenges, including volunteering with our Discovery program. On Saturdays throughout the school year, volunteers read with, tutor and work with students in various STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) activities. Learn more about Discovery and the impact volunteers create here.

The Pajama Program has a fun, daily opportunity to read stories with kids at their reading parties. You can read up to 4 books and engage the kids in conversation about the books after.  

Get a jump start on solving the literacy challenges facing Atlanta’s youth by signing up to serve as a Talk With Me Baby @ Work facilitator. You’ll learn how to provide parents and caregivers the tools and strategies to support early brain and language development.

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These are just a few ways you can start 2019 off on the right (service) foot! What other ways are you planning to give back this year? Let us know on Facebook, by commenting on this post.

2018 Hands On Atlanta Gift Guide

We society - You Can Sit With Us T-SHIRT | ARMOFCASSO COLLAB

Give Something Good!

Look out Atlanta... the holidays have arrived. With the lights, the food and the relatives, the last thing you want to worry about is the gifts. Lucky for you, we’ve got your back! Check out our 2018 Hands On Atlanta Gift Guide featuring some of our favorite local and international businesses doing good.

Shop Local

These hand picked, Atlanta based companies pack a civic, social, and ATL focused punch to their awesomeness. Shop on Small Business Saturday, Nov. 24 or you know… any other day of the year!

Atlanta Influences Everything

Atlanta is everywhere. It’s our music, our style, our artists, our creatives - influencing culture around the world. Let ‘em know with an Atlanta Influences Everything tee.

Shop Now

Bearings Bike Shop

Help kids in Atlanta earn and maintain a bicycle while developing the skills and character essential to success in adulthood by getting some of their swag!

Bitter Southernor General Store

Local journalism and story telling at it’s finest, The Bitter Southernor also rocks some of the sweetest southern swag you can get your hands on.

Bla Bla Kids - Charity

Did you know Virginia Highland’s favorite little dolls have a collection that supports the Environment Defense Fund? Make a child and Mother Earth happy this holiday season!

Global Growers Gift Basket

Support those who grow healthy food in our community with a Global Growers Gift basket. Each basket includes a handpicked selection of tasty, locally-made craft foods.

Hands On Atlanta Shop

100% of profits from the Hands On Atlanta Shop directly support our impact programs. Like our volunteer projects, we’ve got something for everyone in your family!

Lalabu

Wearing your baby is easier (and more comfortable) than ever with Lalabu. Plus, 2% of every purchase goes back to the organization of your choice, supporting parents and babies!

Refuge Coffee

Warm up (and caffeinate) while you shop with a cup of joe from Refuge Coffee Co. and support this 501c3 nonprofit in serving the global Clarkston community through coffee-related job creation, job training, and commerce!

re:loom®

All re:loom® products are individually woven & hand crafted locally in the ATL from donated clothing and home textile fabrics. They also support the Initiative for Affordable Housing to help end homeslessness in our communities.

So Worth Loving

It’s not just a comfy inspirational tee or super cute necklace, it’s a reminder to people that you believe their circumstances don’t define who they are.

Sweet, Sweet Syria

Sweet cookies with a great story. Support this entrepreneurial husband and wife duo embracing the opportunities life in America offers.

Start:Me Marketplace

Supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs in Clarkston, East Lake and South Atlanta, Start:Me has an awesomely diverse collection of local retailers to shop with this holiday season.

We Society

You’ve probably seen We Society Apparel on a celebrity or on Instagram. This social enterprise donates a portion of all sales to organizations doing awesome work for people.

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Shop Smart

Now that you’ve got your local gifts covered, we’ve found a few ways you can shop online, making a huge impact across the globe and right here in Atlanta.

Amazon Smile

Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organization of your choice - cough, cough… Hands On Atlanta would love your donation. AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same prices, same service.

Kiva

Kiva is an international nonprofit, with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Shopping the Kiva Store for things like jewelry, sculptures, clothing and other art made by Kiva borrowers, you’ll support artisan borrowers and Kiva's operations! A social good BOGO.

Donors Choose

Help a public school in metro Atlanta (or anywhere) with a gift card from Donors Choose. It’s never been easier to help a classroom in need, moving us closer to a nation where students in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education.

Heifer International Marketplace

Shop small gifts and accessories on the Heifer International Marketplace and a portion of your purchase goes to support Heifer's mission of helping hardworking farmers around the world achieve a livable wage with dignity and hope.

Cause Artist 2018 Gift Guide

Shop the Cause Artist ethical product holiday gift guide and enter the new year knowing how much you’ve positively impacted everyone in your life and those behind the production line of each item gifted. There’s a little something in here for everyone on your list!

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