Can we give without buying?

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Considering the sheer amount of marketing out there, you have to live under a rock not to know that by now. (Incidentally, if you climb out from under your rock, you'll notice it's pink).

I fully support the fight against cancer, and as a bona fide chick, I even like pink on occasion, but does all our giving must come in a pretty package we buy? I don't fault causes trying to be creative with their message or with how they raise funds, but is this really what it takes for us to give these days?

From project RED, to the pinkification of breast cancer, to the redification of heart disease, marketers are having a field day tying their brands to good causes and making a killing in the meantime. The fact is, that pink thingamobob you buy this month is likely 10% for the cause and 90% for thingamobob Inc.

There is nothing wrong with a charity being a bit creative in their fundraising efforts, or with a company enhancing their corporate social responsibility portfolio with some cute products tied to a cause, but shopping is overtaking giving and the sea of colourful products grows every year. The flood of "charitable" products has gotten so large that it is drowning out the orginal message of the cause.

Did you buy that pink blender because it's cute, because it's in support of breast cancer, or do you even care anymore? Now I may be an antiquated joy killer for saying this but I really don't think shopping is how we're suppose to fulfill the spirit of charity.

Whatever happened to just giving? Plain vanilla, colourless, productless giving?