LAFAYETTE — Community Foundation of Acadiana has released its second annual Giving Back Catalog in conjunction with National Philanthropy Week.

The catalog was started last year as a project of the Foundation to help increase giving during the holiday season. The catalog features needs from 54 nonprofit organizations from throughout Acadiana and it mirrors the Community Foundation of Acadiana’s vision, to match donors with needs in the parishes it serves. A donor may purchase an item for an organization and do so in the name of a friend or loved one.

The catalog offers the perfect Christmas gift for that person who is so difficult to shop for. Community Foundation of Acadiana sends the gift recipient an elegant card describing the gift made to the organization in that person’s honor. The donor is entitled to his/her maximum tax benefit, and the organization receives the financial contribution.

Opportunities to support the organizations listed are varied—ranging from purchase a fruit tree for a community garden to helping out the Options Program at St. Thomas More High School. Most organizations listed two opportunities, one large and one small, to give donors options for their level of support.

The catalog is available for download to the entire Acadiana community on the organization’s Web site www.cfacadiana.org/givingback). Physical copies of the catalog may be purchased for $3 dollars by calling the Foundation’s offices at 337.769.4840.

The mission of Community Foundation of Acadiana is to improve the quality of life in our region by increasing giving, connecting donors with what they care about, and providing leadership on community needs and opportunities. Community Foundation of Acadiana is a tax-exempt, non-profit, non-sectarian public foundation that provides individuals and families, corporations, other non-profits (including churches and schools) and particular communities/parishes a visionary approach to philanthropy. The Foundation is the premier charitable organization in Acadiana, primarily servicing the eight-parish area including Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary and Vermilion parishes. To learn more, call 337.769.4840 or visit HYPERLINK “http://www.cfacadiana.org” www.cfacadiana.org.