THE STORY BEHIND HELLO GIFT GIVERS
Thoughtful giving, shaped by real life.
I’m Lori Vanderheyden, founder of Hello Gift Givers.
For years, my life and work have centered around people navigating very different seasons—children who experience the world differently, families carrying heavy things, people rebuilding after loss, and ordinary people simply trying to show someone they care.
I spent years in special education, continued my graduate training in marriage and family therapy, raised five children, and spent a decade learning firsthand what grief can ask of a family.
All of those experiences shaped the way I think about gifts.
Because sometimes a gift isn’t really about the thing. It’s about saying, “I noticed. I remembered. You matter.”
Where the Idea Began
When my husband died, people wanted to help—but often didn’t know how.
Again and again, people asked:
“What should I give someone who’s grieving?”
“What actually helped?”
“What did you need most?”
I learned that comfort rarely came from grand gestures.
It came through meals delivered at just the right time, blankets that felt like hugs, handwritten notes, practical help, and small reminders that my family had not been forgotten.
Some gifts made us smile. Some made us cry. Some simply made one difficult day a little easier.
That experience changed the way I understood giving—and eventually became part of the reason Hello Gift Givers was created.
The right gift doesn’t have to fix what hurts. Sometimes it simply says, “I’m here.”
A Place for Every Gift, Every Season
Hello Gift Givers is where practical meets personal and thoughtfulness meets real life.
Here you’ll find curated gift guides for celebrations, everyday moments, grief, illness, neurodivergence, caregiving, fresh starts, aging, accessibility, and the many seasons that don’t fit neatly inside a greeting card.
Some gifts are joyful. Some are comforting. Some solve a problem. Some simply make someone feel seen.
The goal is the same:
to make it easier to choose something that fits the person, the moment, and the care you want to give.
Hello Gift Givers Guides
WHAT SHAPES THE GUIDES
When Giving Creates More Good
Giving has always been about more than the gift itself.
As Hello Gift Givers grows, part of our mission is to support organizations doing meaningful work for children, families, and people navigating life’s tender seasons. These are causes we believe in and want our community to know about.
