Whole Story

Our Whole Trade® Guarantee means you can give Valentine’s Day gifts that can change someone’s world, and I’m not just talking about the recipient. Our Whole Trade chocolates, body care and flowers are grown and produced to meet our commitment to ethical trade, the environment and the highest quality.

But what if you are done with all that romantic gift giving? (At least for now.)

There are all kinds of love, and no one said that Valentine’s Day has to be for lovers only. So how can you still spread love? Would you rather hang out with your friends on this sometimes special/sometimes tricky day?

Here are a few ideas for how you can share your love with the pals who lend you their shoulders (and who need your shoulder too).

• Host a tasting with chocolates or cheeses from around the world and pair with unique foods and wines.
• Check in with a long walk, a cup of coffee, hot cocoa, tea or just a phone call — stay connected with a little time spent face-to-face.
• Deliver care packages of homemade treats to their doorsteps with cards that share why you couldn’t live without them.
• Keep a bowl of fresh fruit at your desk or in the break room to share with sweet coworkers.
• Host a matchmaking dinner party for your single friends. Instead of nametags, enlist a friend or two to write interesting facts about your friends (or their sweet friend qualities) and tape them to their backs. Instant party conversations!

How about spreading your love outside? Here are some simple ideas for taking it to the streets and sharing your love with the ‘hood that you call home sweet home.

• Volunteer or donate items to a local soup kitchen, food bank or animal shelter.
• Unofficially adopt a stretch of road you walk or ride along and pick up litter — or organize a roadway cleanup.
• Renew your bird-feeding vows by cleaning and stocking your birdfeeder.
• Make a donation to a local nonprofit, library, museum or community garden.
• Plant a heart-shaped garden bed in your yard, filled with wildflower seeds.

What are your suggestions for showing your love to your friends and community this Valentine’s Day?