Ed Asner and Mark Feuerstein Bring Heifer at Hanukkah Gift Campaign to Life

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Dec 3, 2012) – Heifer International is proud to announce that Ed Asner, who played gruff but lovable Lou Grant on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and Santa Claus in “Elf,” and Mark Feuerstein, from the hit series “Royal Pains,” are the stars of the first-ever Heifer at Hanukkah campaign. Heifer at Hanukkah promotes unique Hanukkah gifts for kids that educate them about the Jewish precepts of tzedakah (charity) and tikkun olam (repair the world).

“The idea of giving people something meaningful and alive that can help repair their economic well-being and also pave the way for future generations of their family is so beautiful,” said Feuerstein. “Heifer International is working to repair the world – one family at a time and one animal at a time.”

A donation to Heifer International provides farm animals, training and more to impoverished families around the world, giving them a hand-up, not just a handout. The goal of Heifer at Hanukkah is to help children appreciate the importance of charity and how their charitable contributions help repair the world and lift families from poverty to self-reliance. Children learn that Heifer families feed themselves with the milk from cows and goats, and the eggs from chicks and ducks. They also learn that families sell the surplus for income that helps send their children to school, provide health care, and improve the quality of their homes. And finally, they see how a single farm animal gift can provide a multitude of benefits when that animal has babies that are passed on to other families in need.

“Kids play with a good toy for a few months or a year, but this gift ends poverty here at home and abroad,” said Asner. “This Hanukkah, show your kids the joy of lifting a family from poverty to self-reliance.”

Visit www.heifer.org/hanukkah t o learn more about Heifer at Hanukkah.

About Heifer International:
Heifer International’s mission is to end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth. Since 1944, Heifer International has provided livestock and environmentally sound agricultural training to improve the lives of those who struggle daily for reliable sources of food and income. Heifer is currently working in more than 40 countries, including the United States, to help families and communities become more self-reliant. For more information, visit www.heifer.org, read our blog, follow us on Facebook or Twitter, or call (800) 696-1918.