Dreidels, latkes and menorahs come to mind when one thinks of Chanukah, but Heifer International also wants people to consider goats, vegetable seeds and chicks this time of year.

That’s because the Arkansas-based international aid nonprofit known for providing livestock to those in need has set up a new program, “Heifer at Hanukkah,” that enables people to make a donation as a Chanukah gift for a loved one.

Frony Chaima of Malawi, with a heifer her family got from Heifer International photo/courtesy of heifer international

Donation options include a flock of chicks ($20), a women’s self-help group ($72) and a goat ($120). There are also more expensive options such as an “ark,” which for $5,000 supplies a family with 15 pairs of animals.

Once the gift is made, Heifer International will send the friend or family member being honored by the donation a card or email describing the benefits of the gift.

Heifer International is publicizing its Chanukah campaign at www.heifer.org/heifer-at hanukkah.

Heifer International’s mission underscores sustainability, both in terms of helping people achieve self-reliance and promoting environmentally sound solutions to poverty.

“What I like most about Heifer International is the simplicity and certainty of donor impact: Donations buy animals and training, which produce food and income, which leads to self-sufficiency,” said Jonathan Blank, the national chairperson and creator of Heifer at Hanukkah. “It’s a formula that I understand, a formula that works.”

— george altshuler