The Manager at Ten Thousand Villages in Steinbach is suggesting a rabbit or chicken as a Christmas gift this year.

Laurie Koop says they have launched their Share The Joy Of Giving campaign. This is the program where you can make a donation on behalf of a loved one towards a project in a developing country.

Koop says the Ten Thousand Villages store in Steinbach will be selling five different gift ideas, though there are many more through Mennonite Central Committee. Those five are a rabbit or chicken for $12, books for libraries for $15, two eco-stoves for $20, nutrition for mothers and babies for $65 or clean drinking water for $125.

Through the program last year, the local store raised $17,000, down from $22,000 the year before. Koop says she is hoping to hit $25,000 this year.

She admits being amazed by the different age groups that were most interested in this program a year ago. According to Koop, 18 to 30-year-old men and women spent a lot of money buying goats for each other rather than exchanging gifts.

"I thought that was absolutely amazing and they had so much fun with it," she says.

The second age group was seniors, but more specifically, men over the age of 65.

The campaign officially started November 1st. Koop says it will run until Christmas Eve.