When people think of sending something to a family to pay their respects for a deceased family member they always think of sending flowers. Hence this is the reason there are always tons of flower arrangements. There are other ideas that are a great way to show your respect and to help to decrease the amount of flowers that will in the end be tossed in the garbage.

Food Basket

For many families when they loose someone the last thing they think of is food. A food basket with fresh fruit, nuts etc is always a helpful thing. You can send the food basket directly to the home of either the surviving spouse or parents.

Charitable Donation

Many people have a favorite charity they like to support or are passionate about. A charitable donation in the deceased is a nice way to show you care. Many times the charity will have a nice card to say thank you for the donation. You can include this in a sympathy card of your own so the family will know about your donation.

Money or Gift Card

When a family member dies many times the surviving family will suffer some kind of financial difficulty. You can always buy a sympathy card and enclose money or a gift card. This is something that will be very useful to the family. You may even consider paying a bill for the family such as their electric bill. If you are on a budget then many utility companies offer gift certificates in many denominations.

The best gift of all that you can give is your support. When a family member dies many times the family will need emotional support and a shoulder to lean on, being a friend can mean much more than any physical item ever could.