Fair Trade Chocolate sale during Lent

Our Easter Chocolates Do Make a Difference!

The Peace & Justice Committee at St. Francis FAIR TRADE CHOCOLATE Sale was a success!

Chocolate orders were taken during Lent and then the filled orders were ready for pick-up a week before Easter.

Thank you all for your generosity, over 100 parishioners bought chocolates, raising over $350 to help victims of Hurricane Sandy (at St. Theresa Catholic Parish, just north of Atlantic City, NJ), while also supporting Fair Trade practices that provide dignity and livable incomes to small farmers and producers around the world.

We especially want to thank our coordinators, Megan Wiseman & Kelly Gauthier , as well as, all who helped make this event happen: Dick Brown, Andrew Comai, Nora Clark, Alina Domagala, Kyle & Bethany Eurick, Kelly Gauthier, Kathleen Ignatoski, Steve Lavender, Maguire Family, Alex Mah, Chris Mollo, Andrew & Donley Nash, Barbara Pomey, Paul Schwankl, Ryan Stack, Megan Wiseman, Jim & Linda & Megan Wiseman.

St. Theresa’s is the Catholic Parish of about 1500 families in the Tuckerton/Little Egg Harbor/Mystic Island community just north of Atlantic City. Among St. Theresa’s parishioners alone, 250 families lost their homes to the hurricane, 600 homes were severely damaged, and almost all the parishioners’ homes sustained damage. St. Francis School’s fundraiser in November/December resulted in over $1,000 in gift cards being sent to help St. Theresa’s parishioners—but help is still needed. Appliances big and small, sheets, towels, dishes, etc. were lost to the storm. And so many little things need to be replaced, including children’s books, toys, and clothes. Please purchase fair trade chocolates for your Easter basket to help struggling farmers around the world, and to help replenish the gift card supply for St. Theresa’s!

Although, our sale at St. Francis is now over, we encourage you to find similar chocolates at Equal Exchange . http://equalexchange.coop/mini-kit 

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Purchase Fair Trade Chocolates and

Change the World!

During my US Peace Corps service in Belize, Central America, I saw many faith-based, non-profit groups and government agencies trying to make a difference in the lives of the local people.  The most successful project I saw was the partnership between the cacao farmers in Toledo, the most impoverished region in the south of Belize, and the UK-based Fair Trade company, Green & Black.

In Belize, people often told me what they needed was not charity but the opportunity to make a decent living.  They worked hard every day, barely scraping by.  It is very hard for subsistence farmers to get their products to market; on their own, their earning potential is meager.  With Green & Black’s commitment to the Toledo Cacao Farmers Growers Association (TCGA), the farmers were better able to plan their business because they knew how much they could sell, and at what price.

This makes a world of difference to the farmers.  Instead of living day-to-day, they can invest in their farms and educate their children.  Green & Black also provides training and educational programs, helping the farmers increase their yields and farm more sustainably.  TCGA has become an economic driver in a region that previously had few opportunities.  As the TCGA developed, they were able to sponsor an annual Cacao Festival, which has grown into an international tourist destination.  As new opportunities are created, Mayan youth can stay in their villages rather that leaving for the larger cities.  The exodus of village youth in search of opportunities in the cities creates problems of overcrowding and unrest in urban areas, while devastating the villages and the traditional way of life for the Maya.

The price of Fair Trade products is not a lot higher for us here in the U.S., who have so much.  But for those in developing countries it can make a huge difference!  Fair Trade:

·          Guarantees a product was not produced by slave labor 

·          Provides dignity to small producers, as a more consistent income allows them to provide for their families and have a more stable future

·          Allows people to invest in their communities and grow their association to provide opportunities for others

The St. Francis Peace & Justice Committee will hold a Fair Trade Chocolate sale after masses on the weekends of February 23/24 and March 2/3.  YOUR purchase of delicious chocolate will change lives!

   --written by Megan Wiseman