Fair Trade LA Kicks Off Fair Trade Month for CRS

With live music playing, local farmers selling, and socially responsible vendors trading everything from body lotion to coffee beans, the Fair Trade LA “Just Lives” Festival at the Hollywood Farmers market this Sunday was a great kick-off for Fair Trade month activities. CRS was a major sponsor of the event, thanks to the Fair Trade Fund, which is replenished everytime you make a purchase of crafts, coffee, or chocolate. I was also able to tag along by doing a book signing at the nearby Groundwork Coffee, which invited about 50 of us in to its cozy location to discuss recent experiences with CRS Coffee farmers and partners in Nicaragua.

At Festival events participants were encouraged to take personal pledges to buy Fair Trade, petition government officials for anti-poverty policies, and generally enjoy thinking globally and acting locally. Congratulations to all the Festival
organizers and volunteers!

Here is a list of other events planned by CRS partners. Please post a comment and let us know about yours too!

Thursday, October 4, Minneapolis, MN

Peace Coffee, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, and the Wedge Food Coop are bringing yours truly to Minneapolis for a reading and book signing on Thursday Oct. 4th from 7:30-8:30 p.m. at Common Roots Café on 26th and Lyndale Ave.

Friday, October 5, Minneapolis, MN

I will join James Curren of Providence Coffee and Fidelis Lindner, a member of St. Elisabeth Ann Seaton Catholic Church in Hastings, MN on the local Relevant Radio program, City Winds. Beginning at 9:00 a.m. we’ll have a conversation about why Fair Trade is important to each of us personally and where the Fair Trade movement is headed from the business, parish, and consumer education perspectives.

Sunday, October 7, Green Festival , Washington, DC

On Sunday at noon, cocoa farmers Cecilia Donkor and Cecilia Appianim from the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative in Ghana - growers and owners of delicious Divine Chocolate—will be at Green Fest at the DC Convention Center. Come join these events to meet the farmers, have your questions answered and learn about Fair Trade. Divine Chocolate is proudly promoted by the CRS Fair Trade program. The Green Fest is organized by Global Exchange and Co-op America and includes a Fair Trade Pavilion featuring many members of the Fair Trade Federation.

Wednesday, October 10, Madison, Wisconsin

Farmers from Kuapa Kokoo will speak about Divine Chocolate from the perspective of being co-owners of the brand as well as farmers. They will also talk about the Fair Trade system and what Divine Chocolate’s success has meant for their communities. The event is at 7:00 p.m in the Social Hall at St. Thomas Aquinas, 602 Everglade Drive, just off Old Sauk Road. This program is being organized by CRS Fair Trade partner, A Greater Gift. Contact: Serena Sato.

Thursday, October 11, Madison, WI

SERRV International/A Greater Gift will host a reception at their store in Madison. This will be an intimate meet & greet with the Kuapa Kokoo farmers. Divine Chocolate samples will be available for guests. Contact: Serena Sato, A Greater Gift. The event is from 5:00-6pmat the A Greater Gift store, 2701 Monroe St (Knickerbocker Place, next to Bluephies)

Friday, October 12, Chicago, IL

Kuapa Kokoo farmers will gather with Fair Trade groups from Chicago area and community at large to talk about Divine Chocolate, Fair Trade’s benefits, and what it means to be a cocoa farmer as well as a shareholder of an international chocolate brand. Divine Chocolate samples will be provided. The event is being hosted by the Chicago Fair Trade Coalition, which is a recipent of support from the CRS Fair Trade Fund. The event will be at 5:30pm at the Little Black Pearl. Contact the Chicago Fair Trade Coalition for more info.

Thursday, October 18th, Montclair, New Jersey

The recently released Solidarity Will Transform the World is a collection of testimonies by the people served by Catholic Relief Services. The stories highlight the lives of people in the developing world and the fight against poverty and injustice. The final chapter features the CRS-supported farmers of CECOSEMAC in Nicaragua.

Author Jeffery Odell Korgen is the secretary of The Roundtable Association of Diocesan Social Action Directors and director of Social Ministries for the National Pastoral Life Center in NYC. Jeff will discuss the book at 7:00 p.m. at St. Peter Claver Church, 56 Elmwood Ave.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 3rd, 2007 and is filed under Events, Fair Trade . You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “Fair Trade LA Kicks Off Fair Trade Month for CRS”

1. Jackie Says:
   October 4th, 2007 at 10:29 am

   Here’s a Work of Human Hands sale I forgot to tell you about!

   Sunday, October 14th, 1:30 P.M. to 5:30 P.M.
   St. John Neumann Parish
   4030 Pilot Knob Road at Deerwood Dr.,
   Eagan Mn.
   Sale will be in the Social Hall
   Contact Information: Mary Jo Peterson 651-686-5470 or Lorna Smith
   952-894-2438

2. Jackie Says:
   October 16th, 2007 at 6:42 am

   Upcoming Fair Trade month observances for us at CRS Fair Trade:

   Brattleboro, VT, October 18-19
   presentation at THE DEVELOPMENT OF PEOPLES: Achieving Millennium Goals”
   St. Michael’s College

   Washington, DC, October 26
   presentation at “Powering Connections” Annual Meeting of the SEEP Network

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