Giving back: Gifts to support worthy causes

Kathleen DiResta admits she had it easy. The Sea Cliff jewelry designer, along with her husband and their 7-year-old son, survived superstorm Sandy without much fuss.

They lost power for five days, but "it doesn't compare to Long Beach and Rockaway," she says. "We were lucky."

She collected food and clothing at her gallery shop but wanted to do more. So she created a "Sun Circle" necklace, symbolizing a circle of friends and community, and will donate 20 percent of its sales receipts to Island Harvest, L.I.'s largest hunger relief organization.

In Port Washington, designer Glenn Bradford felt a similar desire to make a difference. So now through Christmas, he is donating 5 percent from sales of jewelry in his shop to the Women's Fund of Long Island for its Sandy relief efforts. These are just two local artists who've found a way to make gift-giving this season have serious impact. Big corporations are getting in on the act, too.

Ikea has offered the American Red Cross $450,000 worth of donations, plus space in its Red Hook store for shopkeepers to meet with FEMA officials to help get the neighborhood back in business. On Long Island, Ikea has donated batteries, pillows, footwear, coffee and more to relief groups. But it's the lineup of plush, plucky soft toys on Ikea shelves that offers a subtle reminder -- despite the blow suffered locally, there are also worthy causes serving communities outside Sandy's reach, but just as much in need.

Sales of Ikea soft toys, for instance, benefit UNICEF and Save the Children education programs in impoverished regions across the globe.

So how can you help? Check out these gifts that give back -- to Long Island and beyond.

Buy a New York candle, $69, and La Maison Ladurée -- the Upper East Side outpost of the famed Paris shop -- will donate $15 to the American Red Cross to support Hurricane Sandy relief; at La Maison Ladurée, Manhattan.

Actress Hayden Panettiere models the Hayden Necklace, $29.99, a crystal-embellished whale fin pendant -- 50 percent of sales benefit the Whaleman Foundation, a nonprofit research and education group dedicated to protecting ocean life; at jewelmint.com.

Philosophy's to believe cranberry currant shampoo, shower gel and bubble bath, $20, features original Jackie Evancho lyrics on the label, and all proceeds benefit WhyHunger, a nonprofit co-founded by the late singer (and L.I. native) Harry Chapin; at select Sephora stores, sephora.com and philosophy.com.

Local jewelry designer Glenn Bradford will donate 5 percent of proceeds from the purchase of any items in his shop -- including pieces from his Diamond Dust collection, $495 to $15,000 -- to the Women's Fund of Long Island Hurricane Sandy Relief Effort; at Glenn Bradford, Port Washington, orglennbradford.com.

For every soft toy

purchased, Ikea donates 1 euro (about $1.35) to the Soft Toys for Education campaign, which helps fund UNICEF and Save the Children programs inVietnam, China and Bangladesh; 49 cents to $19.99 at Ikea stores and ikea.com.

Local jewelry designer Kathleen DiResta will donate 20 percent from sales of her Sun Circle necklace, $60, in tarnish-

resistant brass on a gold-plate chain, to Island Harvest, L.I.'s largest hunger relief organization; at K. DiResta Collective, Sea Cliff, and etsy.com/shop/ diresta.

All proceeds from the sale of Christopher Radko ornaments designed by Rachel Zoe (tux), Cyndi Lauper (leopard) plus other celebs such as Kelly Ripa, Matt Lauer and Meryl Streep, go to the Child Mind Institute, which seeks to find more effective treatments for children's psychiatric and learning disorders; $40 each at Bloomingdale's stores and bloomingdales.com.

Artisans from Rwanda and Haiti receive half the wholesale price for all handcrafted items sold from the Rwanda Basket collection and Heart of Haiti jewelry and home decor line -- such as these Heart of Haiti tea leaf nesting trays made of eco-friendly paper; $45 at select Macy's stores and macys.com.

Stuart Weitzman supports research in ovarian cancer at the Folkman Institute in Boston with his Young Hollywood Cares collection -- designs created by stars such as Brooklyn Decker and Julianne Hough. Pictured, a calfskin platform pump codesigned by Nikki Reed; $425 at Weitzman's Manhattan flagship or stuartweitzman.com.

Shopping can help

At giftsthatgive.com, 20 percent of all proceeds benefit the charity of your choice. If you're really ambitious, there's even an app allowing you to curate your own shop on Facebook, where pals in your social network can purchase items supporting a cause designated by you. Pick festive items like this Kim Seybert stocking, $98 to $130, or others from brands like Jonathan Adler, Michael Aram and BuiltNY.