Wednesday, October 1, 2008

give the gift of honeybees


I'll probably say this again when it gets a bit closer to the holidays, but it's on my mind today. One of our goals at Borrowed Sweet is to educate our community about the importance of honeybees, and to contribute to our local food sources. We also have an interest in how keeping bees can help to alleviate hunger, and improve economic standing for not just us, but for families around the world. Heifer International is a humanitarian aid organization based in the US, with projects designed to help families raise themselves out of hunger and poverty. By making a project donation, you can choose whether to help buy a cow, or a herd of dairy goats, or a hive of honeybees for families in their host countries. An excerpt from Heifer International's webpage describes their honeybee projects:
From Uganda to El Salvador, bees from Heifer International help struggling families earn income through the sale of honey, beeswax and pollen. Beehives require almost no space and, once established, are inexpensive to maintain. As bees search for nectar, they pollinate plants. Placed strategically, beehives can as much as double some fruit and vegetable yields. In this way, a beehive can be a boost to a whole village. Although most Heifer partners keep bees as a supplement to family income, beekeeping can be a family's livelihood. Your gift can help Heifer provide a family with a package of bees, the box and hive, plus training in beekeeping.

Years before we started our hives, I bought a hive of honeybees in my mother's name as a Christmas gift. I still think about the family who raises those bees, and if, and how, their lives were helped by my tiny donation. As we talk with people in our community about our bees and their honey, many share their concerns about the plight of honeybees, and their own desire for food security. A donation in support of Heifer's bee programs helps support honeybees around the world, and contributes to food security and abundance for families and communities. You can find out more at: http://www.heifer.org/ (above photo from Heifer International website)