MONTREAL -- If the crowded streets, shops and parking lots are any indication - the holiday shopping season is in high gear – but there's another way to shop and give a gift that will impact a community in need.

Called Give the Gift, a fundraising initiative by Head and Hands provides an ethical gift for those who want to attach more meaning than consumerism to their holiday sentiments.  

“Give the Gift is really for people who think we have enough stuff already and who want to give with their ethics in mind and want to give to impact their own community.” said fundraising coordinator Juniper Belshaw. “You donate, you receive the email and choose the card you like. Print it and give it.”

The cupboards of the Head and Hands emergency pantry may not be bare, but they're far from full. The needs of their clients – youth at risk in Notre-Dame-de-Grace – are growing.

“We've seen demand for that service skyrocket. It's more than doubled in the last two months,” said executive director John McPhederan-Waitzer.

What's made matters worse, he said, is the fact that donations are down, forcing them to stretch all their services, including such important matters as free legal, medical, counselling, drug and food pantry services.

The cards and the campaign are a product of the community, said McPhederan-Waitzer.

“What's really exciting is that it was made entirely possible through volunteer effort of two youths from the neighbourhood who heard our services, on one hand, have been in higher demand, and on (the other) hand, and our donations have been lower than before. (They) volunteered their time to develop the web platform and design the cards themselves,” he explained.

Young people are especially hard to help since they don't often seek out services. That's why their street outreach work is vital.

“Without it, people like me would continue to be on the streets,” said former client Donald.

Gifts can be designated for any of their services; $15buys two days of food, while 250 dollars provides a week of street outreach.

With the hope that this sort of ethical giving will catch on, and youth at risk in NDG will get the helping hand they need, The Give the Gift campaign will extend past the holiday season.