5 Valentine's Day Gifts That Will Benefit the World

A somewhat serious post from the woman who wants to put "able to tell whether couple will 'love it' or 'list it'" on her resume. I've been smacked upside the face with ads trying to convince me to spend money I don't have for the non-existent lover in my life. And most of the stuff marketed towards me isn't really my jam. With the exception of a free oil change. I'd use the hell out of that. Seriously, my maintenance light came on yesterday.

Anyways, the world right now is a dark and dreary place with our one shining light being Melissa McCarthy.

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And it's put me in a rather sour mood. Like, I saw a puppy the other day and barely cracked a smile. It's bad, y'all.

So I figure the best way to combat what I assume is a world-wide sadness cloud, is to introduce gifts that ditch the whole "chocolates and flowers" thing in favor of something much more badass. These are gifts you can give to your sweetheart (or yourself) and feel a little bit better about the state of the world. Legitimately smile when you see a puppy, too.

*I've done my research on these charities too. These are good folks, and you're money will actually be used for what they say they're using it for. So donate away!*

1. International Rescue Committee- A Year of School

I bitch about college a lot, but truth is I really do love it and will miss it like crazy. It's opened doors for me that I never knew existed. Education is like that. IRC helped educate more than 13,000 girls in 2015 and that's amazing. So, if you're looking at the price of delivery a dozen roses and wondering how the hell $58 makes sense, direct your cash here, instead http://bit.ly/2lmMrhc

2. Your Local Food Pantry

If international stuff overwhelms you a bit, consider going local. This link will help you find where your local food pantry is, so you can ditch buying chocolates in favor of giving someone a meal. I'd suggest donating your time or your money, but avoid the canned foods. There's a whole "Adam Ruins Everything" about that, and yes, it did ruin canned food for me possibly forever. 

3. L.A. Kitchen

This one is a personal favorite. I got to speak with their founder and CEO, Robert Egger, and he's fantastic. L.A. Kitchen tackles a whole host of issues in one swoop; training the unemployed in the culinary field using food that would've gone to waste that is then donated... woah. I asked him if he's killing two birds with one stone, he told me he's after the whole flock. Read more and donate here: http://bit.ly/1mRdDzZ

4. Nothing But Nets

Aside from the absolutely brilliant name, this charity is awesome, especially if you're broke as a joke right now. All you need is $10, and you can send a net to protect an entire family. You can also join Team Bzzzkill and honestly the names this charity comes up with are so perfect it kills me. Learn more here: http://bit.ly/1SF3Zgx

5. Doctors Without Borders

Fun fact: John Oliver did a pretty creative fundraiser for this charity not too long ago. I don't have anywhere near the resources, just my blog. So all I can really say is, this charity is full of wonderful people who do wonderful things. Check them out here: http://bit.ly/2fTBIcm

Got any charities you'd like to share? Tell me while I ignore this 1-800-FLOWERS commercial!