I recently had an Amazon egift card giveaway for ESI Money readers. I hope those winners enjoyed their prizes.
This one is a bit different.
The winners of this giveaway will receive egift cards that they will use to bless others this holiday season.
After all, it’s better to give than receive, right? And I’m sure many of you know people who could use an extra bit of help these days.
Here are the details of the giveaway:
- I’ll be giving away $500 in Amazon egift cards — one card per winner, total of 10 winners, $50 on each card.
- To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment below telling me who you’d like to help/give to and why.
- Be sure to include your email address when you leave the comment so I will know where to send your prize if you win (the email address will not be visible to anyone other than me).
- The winners will be selected by me at random.
- The selection of winners will be held on Monday, December 6, 2021. I’ll list them as a comment on this post.
- I will email you an Amazon ecard if you win — to the email address you leave in your entry.
- You can then use the proceeds of that card to bless someone (or several people — it doesn’t have to be a single person or family) with a gift, needed supplies, or anything else you feel would make their lives a bit better.
- As with most giveaways, there are rules. Here they are (the one difference here is that you don’t need to be a US resident since I can email these cards anywhere). 🙂
Good luck!!!!
I would love to help my neighbor who has been diagnosed with cancer and is struggling with his recovery and his finances this holiday season.
Hi, greetings from Poland.
I would give this card to my wife. Even though I read a lot about FIRE and stuff, she is not much into this and it’s hard for me to convince her. She fully relies on me, but I definitely want to see here more active. That’s why she will be given some books on this topic with a proper deadline to finish them 😉 and with a remark that no other presents will be given to her unless she finishes them and passes the final test! Also a good opportunity for her to polish her English, which is also a perfect investment.
This will sound unoriginal, but I work with children and young adults with cancer and blood disorders, like sickle cell disease. Many of their families are struggling. We have local charities that help, but there’s always more need than there are funds to help. I would give the e-card to our clinic’s social worker, to give to a particular family with great hardships at this moment.
Oops that was meant for main thread.
To be honest I’d like to help out a friend in financing his education. Due to financial issues he is unable to pursue his further studies and that’s something important to me. After all knowledge is power and willingness to learn is a form of achieving the power.
It’s a great idea and I applaud your generosity. I plan on giving again this year, to some families who have been severely affected by the current crisis of the pandemic. We have many in need of basic food items, so my donations will be directed to the food banks in our vicinity.. Keep up the good work ESI.
Great idea! I would gift my sisters family. She has been diagnosed with a debilitating disease and is no longer able to work. Covid and the holiday season has been hard on her family. Thank you for all you do!
I’d give them away to military Veterans in need. I work in am agency that services the military community and we’re putting together Christmas gift boxes for those in need. We would add the gift cards to the Xmas gift boxes we’re putting together. It’d definitely would be a Christmas blessing for them this year.
Good morning! I would like to give the gift cards to our surgical attendants. They work so hard along with us front liners in keeping our operating rooms clean, move furnitures and positioning aids in a short turnover time between cases. Our area does not slow down so as we are all exhausted and burnt out, they too must very well be. Thanks and bless you for your generosity.
Great job spreading the love! I would like to donate this to the International Hyperhidrosis Society (IHS) instead of a particular individual.
https://sweathelp.org/sweat-help-home/donate.html
Hyperhidrosis is excessive sweating wherein the body’s sweat glands don’t work properly. Even if it’s cold, it will think the body is hot which then produces sweat. It’s like living with a broken thermometer in your body. Imagine, sweating profusely during winter? Or driving on the freeway with the driver’s wheel dripping with sweat? Or having to change clothes often at work while on a 9-5 job so that no one will judge you? Growing up with hyperhidrosis in my underarms, hands, and feet, I thought something was wrong with me and I suffered depression for more than 10 years because no doctor could figure out what the issue was because “it’s just sweat”. As it turns out, only 3-5% of the US population has this. I had to figure out a career in which no one will judge me by my sweat and that turned out to be entrepreneurship and real estate investing.
I was lucky enough to stumble upon the IHS and they made me realize I’m not alone. They try their best to spread awareness. Through their network, I was able to partake in clinical studies in which I was able to reduce the sweat of my underarms and hands by more than 50% permanently. Thanks to them, I feel that I’m able to live a “more normal” life. The same cannot be said for the 3-5% who are suffering from this. If given the chance, I’d like to help this organization in any way I can.
Appreciate you reading this!
I would donate the money to Lighthouse Shelter or Gleaners Food pantry, local Detroit organizations.
https://southoaklandshelter.org/what-we-do/
https://www.gcfb.org/
Thanks for all you do!
Hi from Boston,
I would bless my friend Erin with Amazon e-card gc. She’s an amazing mother of four with her two youngest being on the spectrum. Any bit will help the awesomeness that this woman is.
I would like to give the gift to my local charity who are taking care of the disabled adults. The gift will provide a wonderful Christmas to each and everyone living in the institution.
I love how you focus on generosity. I would probably give it to my parents because they have helped me A LOT in my goals of becoming debt-free by the end of this month. Mom lost her job due to the pandemic last year after graciously giving me money each month to get things paid off. Dad works in ministry so mom was the breadwinner and has been my whole life. She is currently working with the Health Department until they let her go because she has a “Christmas goal” as she told me last week with a sparkle in her eye. She said she will tell me more on Christmas. They have been frugal my whole life, have lived on one salary, have allowed me to move back home after my divorce. I’m now on my own again. They deserve something to use in themselves. And possibly a friend at work who has been so generous this year in helping provide for meals when we go out and providing over $200 in gift cards at my birthday during an extremely tight time. I didn’t know him until this year and his birthday is coming up and it marks the anniversary of a hard time in his life. I would love to give back!
Wounded Warriors. I think that is self-explanatory. Thank you again for what you do.
I would love to help a woman in my life whose husband left her and she has had to pick up the pieces.
I would give it to the two ladies in our church office who support our church.
Thanks for doing this. I would give to a random middle class person who never seems to get anything but pays taxes, works hard to take care of their family and health insurance, doesn’t ask for much. Those are the ones, who you will brighten their day. You may give it to them for me.
Better to give than to receive
Thank you for the giveaway. I’d like to use it to gift presents to my niece.
Thanks for your generosity. The gift would go to the local foodbank that serves seven counties in my area.
Greetings!
Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to give a special gift during this holiday season.
Should I win a gift card, I plan to donate the money to a local group that helps out pets by feeding the ones who are homeless and in need of care in my area.
Thanks for doing this good deed! I would give the gift card to a friend from church, a young lady with an 8 year old son whose husband died recently from esophageal cancer. They have incurred a lot of expenses in traveling for treatment and are in need at this time.
I would buy food for local food bank based on their wishlist.
If I win, the gift goes to… the commenter on this page who has the most altruistic proposal. To be decided by Mr. “Esi” 🙂
I would buy some grocery staples for my buddy Bob that lives on Social Security. He is a person that is quick to help others.
I am working with Afghan refugee families who worked for the U.S. government in Afghanistan and are being resettled in my city. These families came to the United States with nothing but the clothes on their backs and need everything for their new housing, so I would use the gift card to buy some basic necessities (plates, utensils, etc) for their apartments.
It is the season for giving and there are two families I want to give gifts to. They recently migrated to Canada and sometimes starting in a new country can be daunting. Hence want to bless them this Christmas reminding them that Christ loves them and that all will be well.
I would give the money to Daniel’s Table a charity in Framingham Massachusetts, who’s goal is feed children in our area nutritious meals. My family donates to them every year and I would add this to our holiday donation.
I have been reading ESI for several years and have shared your wisdom with my children thank you
Hello from South Florida!
Thank you for all you do to excel the lives of people in a world that can be difficult without financial knowledge. Where do you get this without having friends and family, that adopted “rich dad”, who can mentor you? Well, you’ve been that for me and many others. Every week, you equalize the playing field through education. Thank you.
My husband and I aren’t yet financially independent, but we’re on our way. We were raised straight-up members of the middle class with scarce financial education until we stumbled across your blog and those of others. Thank you for all you’ve done for us and millions of others.
Over the last six years, we’ve chosen certain family members to help. One of them is Ms. A, her name shortened for privacy, and the mother of my only niece, Princess A, her name also shortened for privacy, and my brother’s child. Ms. A and my brother were no longer together when she found out she was expecting in 2016. I met her around this time.
Ms. A had been a sort of “orphan”. She never knew who her father was. Her mother had abandoned her as a tiny tot to be raised by her mother’s sisters, four sweet maternal figures who made up in love what they didn’t have in money. With that love, Ms. A made something of herself as much as she knew how. In her mid-20s, before I knew her, she received her beautician license and opened a humble, street-side beauty salon in the lower-income neighborhood in which she was raised. This was striking, as Ms. A did all this without any financial help or entrepreneurial mentors.
Despite her initial success, Ms. A never lost a deep longing for what having involved parents could have meant for her as a child. It was this longing that motivated her to create a special relationship with my brother so that he could be an involved, loving father to Princess A. Ms. A also made a great effort to create a special bond for her daughter with my mother and me. These were selfless acts, as Ms. A and my brother weren’t together.
Enter myself and my husband. We decided to become more involved in assisting Ms. A to help her take her beauty salon to new heights. Over the last six years, we’ve paid for extensive education in specialized beauty courses and beauty equipment totaling over $20,000, as well as travel to those courses. These gifts were things Ms. A, a single mom and struggling entrepreneur, would never have been able to afford on her own.
Since then, Ms. A has made a success of her education and utilized it to offer new advanced treatments in her salon. As a result, she’s in a better financial position and, having moved out of her aunts’ flat, now lives independently with her daughter in a lovely rented apartment. She’s also upgraded her beauty salon to a better location to attract higher-paying clients.
Why am I telling you all this? We’re asking for your help via the kind gift of the $500 Amazon gift card to purchase some needed supplies for Ms. A’s business. Some would say that she’s doing well enough and that I’ve done enough. I might agree if I didn’t know firsthand Ms. A’s business capability, work ethic, life vision, and most importantly, her selfless capacity for forgiveness, hope, gratitude and love. She makes the most, and then some, of every help and kindness offered.
So, this holiday season, we ask you to help us help Ms. A again, a young single mother with big dreams of business expansion, home ownership and the best life possible for herself and her daughter.
My email is [email protected].
Thank you for listening.
What an awesome idea! I work for a school district and see how much our teachers are burning out. I would use the money to help fund a surprise in the teachers room that may make some of them smile. I’ve seen them sit in the car and cry before putting on a happy face to come in and teach our kids.
I have adopted a Grandmother raising 9 kids for Christmas and all of 2022. They could use the gift card for basic family needs, which are luxuries to them.
I would like to give the gift card to our local pregnancy care center. They do so much to help young parents who are expecting a baby. Thank you.
Hello
I will be adding the gift cards to the donations we are making to Veterans Community Project which helps homeless Veterans get off the street and into a tiny home in a village of 49 homes where services can be provided as a way to transition to permanent housing.
Hello, I would give the gift cards to my Nephew who graduated college last year and has just started out on his own. Like all young people, he can use a little help. Good luck to everyone!
I have been sad since we had to put our mom in a nursing home. We all have awful health issues and cannot take care of her. I had open heart surgery and clots in my lungs. was on life support. I feel like I am trapped now. Mom needs a warm blanket and socks with grips on them. This would really help me out for my mom. thank you for the chance and happy holidays.
Would send some extra cheer to a close family member who recently went thru divorce and has the hardest times around the holidays. Thank you for your continuous generosity and thoughtfulness with these types of giveaways and your ongoing charitable support to others! You definitely inspire me every year and continue to help me build my own muscles trying to follow in your foot steps!
Thank you for this wonderful generosity! I would donate my gift card to the Caring House, which provides housing for cancer patients at Duke Cancer Institute in Durham, NC. I would make this donation in memory of my mother who died in 2017 and was treated at Duke for pancreatic cancer. And it would be in honor of my Duke providers who treated me for breast cancer in 2020.
I’d give to my son who is starting college. He’s broke but happy and has the right attitude.
I would give the card to my nephew. He has 5 children and can always use a hand.
I would love to recognize my son who is 17 years old and a senior in high school. COVID was hard on him as he transitioned to online school. He gained weight and sat at home depressed and at his highest he weighed 250lbs. This summer he was determined to turned it all around. He was formally diagnosed being on the autism spectrum however he overcame these challenges. He became determined to improve his life. He has been accepted in a dual credit program for the remainder of the school year at our community college. He wants to go to college and study computer science. He wakes up every morning at 5 am and goes to the gym at 6:30 am. He has lost over 30 lbs and has a goal of 175 lbs. He rides his bike every day and gets at least 10K steps. He participated in his first 5K race and although he didnt come in first or last, he was determined to finish it and work through the hard parts. He also has an interview for a job next week at our fitness center. He has really turned things around and as a single mother, I am very proud of him. He says it is a lifestyle and he will never let himself get back into that spot.
My best friend from high school has been having some health issues affecting her husband and I’d like to help her family.
I would love to bless my children’s teachers as they have worked really hard during this season.
Although my husband has been struggling with cancer we are financially sound. I would give this to a neighbour I just met who had to sell his house. His wife is dying of cancer and they have kids who are 14, 10, and 5 years old . I would bake them some Christmas cookies and include this gift card! Thank you for all you do. If I don’t win I will do it anyways
My sister is a special education teacher in the inner city of a large midwestern city. Our family “adopts” a number of families from her school, to help them with a Christmas for the family.
If my sister could get one of these gift cards, she could help a couple more families from the school to ensure they have a Christmas.
I would love to gift my go to grocery store check out employee. He has worked so hard through this pandemic.
I’d like to deliver homemade Christmas cookies to the Snoqualmie Valley Shelter.
This is so awesome!
I would love to donate this card to our PTA to give to our teachers. They have really done a great job during the pandemic and appreciate all that they have done! And I will match it with a card of my own 😃
I would use it to buy supplies off a local animal rescue’s wishlist.
If I win, that gift card will be used to buy mittens and hats for the homeless shelter. We live in Canada and it’s pretty cold out here.
Would help our niece who recently had a baby.
Thanks for the giveaway. I would use the cards to support a 13 y/o girl who is battling cancer for the 3rd time.
First of all let me say what a great example you set about giving and giving back. We need a good leader to remind us of how blessed so many of us are!
I want to give back to the Honor Flight that I was so lucky to have been a part of. Not fighting in a war myself this was a life changing event for me to participate in and I want to make sure nobody ever forgets our veterans or their sacrifices for us
Dear Sir,
I appreciate all you have done for me, and countless others, to show us how to live out the adage “(Financial) Knowledge equals Power”, and I might add, “equals Hope”. May you and yours be abundantly blessed as we enter the holiday season.
I would like to humbly request a chance to help bless a woman who recently came into my world. She is a widowed immigrant mother of a 5 year-old boy who sadly witnessed the suicide of his father, and has been struggling immensely to cope in the face of such unfathomable trauma. My network has been trying to help in any way we can (finding culturally-sensitive therapists, arranging transportation, dealing with insurance, probate, etc.) Needless to say, many harder days remain ahead for this family, but I hope this small token will bring them a glimmer of joy and remind them that they are not alone. Thank you again for your kind consideration and showing us one way to make the world a little better by putting others first.
With gratitude and hope,
Cecilia
I would like to gift the cleaning staff here where I work. They have supported the location through covid and are never really recognized for the work that they do. Folks like this need a helping hand during the year.
I would like to give the gift card to my mom. She is absolutely amazing and my siblings and I help with with some finances as she’s been an absolutely great mother and is still working as a teacher at age 70 because of some financial concerns (listed more details on the MMM forum). Thanks for considering!
I am involved with our local school district foundation, and I’d give this gift to them to use in support of kids in our local public schools. We are an urban/suburban district in the northwest, with 40% low income, that stayed remote spring 2020. One of the big “needs” that has emerged as school buildings have reopened is a restocking of books (many classroom books were damaged or didn’t get returned and teachers are recognizing a need to add in a more diverse selection of books to mimic the diversity of our school population)
The kids and the teachers are so happy to be back in classrooms and I’d love to support them!
I would like to give the $50 to my aunt. She is a retired educator/teacher who has recently experience extreme loss of a close love one. She also takes care of all of her family members including in-laws. A lot is on her plate and I would love to give her this gift card so that she can spend it on herself for a change.
I would like to give to my daughter’s teacher at school. She’s doing amazing taking care of all these kids during this time and continuing to watch over them and teach them. Thank you for this giveaway.
I would like to give to the local homeless shelter Union Rescue Mission, which operates out of Skid Row in LA. I see too many homeless in LA and not only are they hungry, but the weather is turning colder, so they are definitely hurting. I used to give time (volunteer) more than money, but these days, I have no time, so try to give money when I can and this will help.
Thank you ESI for setting this up.
What a wonderful idea!!! Right in the spirit of Thanksgiving and Christmas!
I would give this gift card to Manna Foodbank, the regional food bank for Western North Carolina. Their services have been ever more in demand with the pandemic.
I’d bet they would use the gift card to buy food for clients…
Ann
I would like to donate a card to Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue (www.mickaboo.org) . I have a foster parrot who has had many vet visits due to squamous cell carcinoma on his tongue. Avian medicine is very specialized and therefore very expensive.
Thank you for this idea! I would gift the card to my in-laws because they do not have a lot and my mother-in-law asked my husband for money to pay off their vehicle for Christmas instead of another physical gift. They help us so much with our children and in other ways so that along with the need is why I’m choosing them.
I want to help my cousin fighting cancer
What can I say that will get me chosen for this win. If I win, I would share some with my Mom who’s birthday I share 12-28 and she will soon to be 91 on her next birthday. The other money would go to investments. I’m trying to retire soon.
I Would be so grateful to share the gift card with a young father- who is just recently divorced- and struggling…He is living with his two young daughters in a third floor rental -(which is only two rooms)… I so appreciate the joy of just anticipating that I could possibly be of help to them.
I hate knowing people go hungry especially in a country as rich as the US. We have 2 efficient food banks in the area and I would donate to one of the two. These charities buy in bulk from wholesalers and volunteers pack and distribute the food. Much more cost effective than buying retail then donating. I’ve packed food at both so know they are well run. I will contribute an extra $50 if I win but use my company match to make it $100.
To my daughter who has given selflessly and deserves it.
I would like to gift my sister who cant work and her car has died, she is getting surgery next week.
I appreciate your generosity, but I don’t envy you trying to narrow this list down to select those to receive the gift cards. I have a co-worker and friend that is expecting her first child this spring whose husband left her this fall and is in the process of seeking a divorce. Your gift would help her provide for the baby and also comfort her to know that although her husband may no longer be caring and supportive, many others are willing to step in and help.
I would give the gift card to a friend of my wife’s.
She is a single mother that moved to another state looking for a better living. Right now she is unemployed.
I’d like to help my local foodbank
I’d like to help parents who are unable to buy Christmas presents for their kids this year.
Love this!! Our Elementary School PTA has an Amazon wish list for children in poverty who go to the school – things like winter hats and boots.
I’d love to use this gift card to buy some more items from that list and help my son’s classmates.
Thanks for everything you do, ESI!
I would give to a non-profit by the name of Rose Again Foundation which blesses foster children each year with Christmas gifts from their wish lists.
We work with a group of homeless folks and I’d love to have a little something extra for them. I wouldn’t use it for one person but buy several things they need 1) to make Christmas a little brighter and 2) some things to make it through the winter.
I would give the gift card to my two daughters who are public school teachers. I am sure they would make good use of the gift card to buy much needed classroom supplies.
My small group from church is helping a family in need with Christmas gifts and a meal. I would add in this Amazon gift card to this family with 4 kids to provide an additional benefit that could be put to a good use.
I would gift this gift card to our former nanny who is now a single parent raising four year old twins (one is disabled and requires around the clock care). Her (soon to be ex-husband) is not in the picture since the kids were six months old.
My in-laws! Since my husband passed away 5 years ago they have been nothing but supportive and the best grandparents in the world to my kids. So grateful for the blessings they are in my life.
I give to an organization that supports foster children who are aging out of the foster system and starting to live on their own. An Amazon gift card could help support a young adult moving through this process.
I would give this to my friend’s niece who recently lost her husband. She now has 3 kids under 6 to raise on her own.
I would donate to Masbia.org, “a nonprofit soup kitchen network and food pantry, every day providing hot, nutritious meals for hundreds of New Yorkers in desperate need of food.”
I would give to my son who lost his job 3 weeks ago.
I volunteer at a soup kitchen that helps homeless and struggling people in our area. I would give it to them so that they can bless someone this holiday season.
I will get needed items from the school I resigned from last year.
*for the school
*for the school
This giveaway is over. The winners are:
Kaye on DECEMBER 3, 2021 AT 3:07 AM
Fran Hsieh on DECEMBER 3, 2021 AT 4:47 AM
A. L. says on DECEMBER 3, 2021 AT 5:30 AM
Mike Lewis on DECEMBER 3, 2021 AT 5:38 AM
Mollie Jax Jackson on DECEMBER 3, 2021 AT 6:02 AM
Bobby Williams on DECEMBER 3, 2021 AT 6:40 AM
Jane59 on DECEMBER 3, 2021 AT 8:52 AM
Lisa R says on DECEMBER 4, 2021 AT 8:34 AM
chiamo on DECEMBER 5, 2021 AT 8:09 AM
Alan S on DECEMBER 5, 2021 AT 3:35 PM
I’ll be emailing the winners soon to confirm email addresses. Congrats to all!
Thank you for being so generous and I will pass on that giving spirit.
I recently met up with a former classmate- who is down on her luck… Once a Silicon Valley techie she is now relying on foodstamps— after being diagnosed with a rare illness that has made her allergic to most modern chemicals. Now she has no job , health insurance and her money has run out after seeing countless doctors physicians etc to no avail. Many Americans are one healthcare emergency away from financial ruin.
So I think this gift card could really make a difference buying necessities for her.
I would give to a woman in my neighborhood that lives in her car