A Few Thousand Dollars. Three Communities. Over 110 Children. Direct Community Giving.

This is What Happens When Money Goes Where It’s Supposed to Go: A Journey of Giving

This year, at Illustrated Domain, we embarked on a meaningful journey. Our dedicated team collaborated with Guardian Farm employees and volunteers from the United States, Germany, and France. Together, we ventured into the mountains and cloud forests of Peru with a simple yet profound goal: to show up and give with heart.

Direct Community Giving. Connecting with Communities.

We visited three rural communities: Parts of Huyro, Abra Málaga (where some families walked four hours to join us), and Iyape. These areas are characterized by simplicity. Life here revolves around essentials—tin roofs, dirt floors, and meals cooked over open fires. Many families strive to make ends meet on just a few hundred dollars a month.

And still—joy everywhere.

For this year’s annual toy drive, we raised approximately $2,145. This amount transformed into gifts for over 110 children. There were no bloated systems, no layers of administration, and no performative charity. Just direct impact and Direct Community Giving.

Every Dollar Worked

Illustrated Domain and Guardian Farm took care of everything that donations didn’t cover: volunteer hosting, wages, planning, coordination, logistics, and all the unglamorous work that truly makes a difference. We always prioritize this. It’s non-negotiable. The children come first.

This year, we experienced a bonus moment we didn’t expect. Thanks to donor support, we were able to assist a young child cancer survivor who needed a medical item, raising close to another $1,000. Care has a way of expanding when people show up.

For many of these children, this wasn’t just “one of many” gifts. It was the gift. Sometimes, it was the only one they received. They weren’t waiting for the latest phone or something flashy. Instead, they received something far more meaningful: the feeling that someone traveled all this way just for them.

We brought the gifts directly into the communities and shared them alongside hot chocolate and sweet bread—a local tradition that turns giving into a celebration rather than a ceremony.

The Importance of How We Give

Here’s something we care deeply about: how this is done.

We provide the resources and allow parents and community members to choose the gifts themselves. They know their children best. They understand what makes sense and what will be loved. Our role isn’t to decide—it’s to trust. We supported the locals to travel to Cusco, select the gifts, and loaded everyone into an 11-person van to get home.

Last year, we reached over 250 children across four communities. This year looked different. We faced fewer resources (high-five David!) and more pressure. Still, our decision remained unchanged: the children would not pay the price for circumstances they didn’t create.

The Impact of Direct Giving

That choice matters.

For context, many international charities spend $50 to $150 per child once overhead, staffing, marketing, and logistics are factored in—sometimes even more. In large organizations, a significant portion of donations never reaches the child at all.

Our model flips that.

Funds go directly to kids and communities. Logistics remain local. Travel and lodging are kept simple. Labor and overages are absorbed by Guardian Farm and Illustrated Domain—not donors. It’s lean, intentional, and honest.

And it works.

This is what a few thousand dollars can achieve when handled with care, trust, and zero nonsense.

If you’ve supported this cause before, thank you. You’re part of this story.

If you want to support Guardian Farm’s general needs fund, you can do that here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=NEPCXGV5KH8VE. Every dollar goes directly to Guardian Farm projects.

With gratitude,

Sarah A. Sherman

Founder

GuardianFarm.org + Illustrated Domain