Father’s Day, which falls each June on the third Sunday of the month, is a day to celebrate dads and the role they play in raising children.
While many families will honor dads on June 19 this year with hugs and kisses, homemade cards, and backyard barbecues, some may also choose to give the gift of time: a walk in the park, a trip to the Statue of Liberty, a free pass on mowing the lawn. Then again, some dads might prefer a gift that gives back to a cause, a community, or the earth itself. Here are five ideas for unusual gifts just like that:
- Grounds for Change. This certified organic coffee roasting company specializes in 100 percent fair-trade coffee, donates 1 percent of sales to social and environmental organizations, and features a Coffee Club: one-pound bags sent each month for 3, 6, 9, or 12 months. Gift boxes of coffees are also available.
- Charity Choice. Purchase a physical gift card or an eCard in any amount you wish, and Dad then selects any charity close to his heart (up to three) from an online list of more than 150 major charitable causes. The donation is 100 percent tax deductible, and the recipient receives an emailed tax acknowledgement.
- Out of Print T-Shirts. Dads can wear the gift of “giving back” with a t-shirt from Out of Print. Each shirt is designed with the cover image from a classic novel, such as Catcher in the Rye, Old Man and the Sea, Catch-22, and others. For each purchase, one book is donated to a community in need in countries around the world. Price is about $30.
- Ten Thousand Villages. For an unusual eco-friendly gift, try a fair trade retailer with locations across the country (including Highland Park, Princeton, and Red Bank) and online. Choose from handmade gifts, personal accessories, art, sculpture, and more, made by artisans from Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. Artisans use the income to pay for food, education, health, and housing.
- The Arbor Day Foundation. For a unique gift, order a tree that Dad can plant outdoors from The Arbor Day Foundation; each sale benefits its conservation and educational programs. The Foundation’s website details the best tree(s) to plant in each state, and mails this loving gift in a recyclable poly tube that can later be converted to a bird feeder (instructions included).
It is believed that Sonora Smart Dodd was the individual responsible for getting Father’s Day declared as an official holiday in honor of her dad, a widower and single father who had raised her and her five brothers alone. She began her campaign in 1908, and various American presidents took up her cause over the years after that. Finally, in 1972, President Richard Nixon established Father’s Day as an official holiday.
Arline Zatz, from Metuchen, NJ, is the award-winning author of several New Jersey guidebooks, including Best Hikes With Children in New Jersey (The Mountaineers).