Image: from fair trade Divine Chocolate
I wish I'd come across this information earlier but simply knowing about such efforts may prove to be fruitful. Here you can find information from Catholic Relief Services on fair trade markets for buying gifts of coffee, chocolates and crafts as Christmas gifts. The Archdiocese of Minneapolis-St. Paul has a similar initiative which should serve as a model for other dioceses.
Also of interest...
On an earlier post about an at-home ATM for kids, Jack's Son left the following comment:
On a related issue, have you by any chance seen the new Wal-Mart ad? The final tag line is “The more you save, the more Christmas you can give.” I almost fell off my couch! Christmas now redefined by Madison Avenue as the presents themselves. I thought, “Shouldn’t it really be something more like ‘the more you give of yourself, the more Christmas you give?’”
Here's some background on that ad campaign.
If you see other questionable ads, leave a comment here.
Thanks for letting people know about the chance to shop Fair Trade with CRS. In addition to bringing wonderful stories of the people behind the products into homes this season, each purchase translates into a contribution from our partners to the Fair Trade Fund. We use this fund to recycle resources for more artisans and farmers trying to enter the Fair Trade marketplace and for activists here in the States.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the Christmas holidays are our busiest time of year Fair Trade is a way to live Catholic Social Teaching all year long. Please sign up for our Fair Trader newsletter at our website to get news every two months and also subscribe to our blog for twice weekly updates.
Thanks and happy holiday!
Jackie
http://www.crsfairtrade.org