Social Concerns Column for May 22, 2011

To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. -- Proverbs 21:3

Drink Fair Trade Coffee.  

Experience great coffee from beans farmed in ecologically responsible ways.  Fair Trade Coffee is sold in all grocery stores in Livermore, in brands ranging from Folgers to Starbucks.  Look for the symbol on the package.


Give Fair Trade Gifts. 
People love hand-crafted gifts and admire the cause you serve with your purchase.  Order a free catalog (1-800-685-7572) or shop online (www.crsfairtrade.org).



Eat Fair Trade Chocolate.  
It is fair to farmers and wonderfully delicious!  In Livermore, Debbie Post has found Divine brand chocolate at grocery stores, and also several Fair Trade Chocolate brands at Trader Joes.  Excellent quality!







Learn More About Fair Trade.  

Fair Trade is about fair prices.  It’s about eliminating exploitative middlemen and sharing more of a product’s value with the people who made it.  Fair Trade is about being good stewards of the planet God gave us.   Catholic Relief Services’ Fair Trade program, embraces the idea of Fair Trade as a partnership between producers and consumers.  Fair Trade contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers.  U.S. Catholics and others of good will have a special role to play in making trade fair and sustainable.  The CRS Fair Trade website is designed to help you pray, learn, act, give (and receive!) in solidarity with artisans and farmers around the world: http://www.crsfairtrade.org

A poor man's field may produce abundant food, but injustice sweeps it away. -- Proverbs 13:23