Fair Trade Items Sale

Crafts, coffee, chocolate, and textiles from Latin America

Brookfield, MA – The Green Sanctuary Committee of the Brookfield Unitarian Universalist Church (BUUC) will sponsor a two-day Fair Trade Sale on Friday, November 10 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. and on Saturday, November 11 from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. The event will be held in the church parlor located at 9 Upper River Street, Brookfield, MA.

Featured items include hand-woven scarves, table runners, bracelets, purses, tote bags, and beaded ornaments from Latin America. Organic coffees (including drip ground and whole bean), teas, chocolates, organic hot cocoa mix, organic milk, and very dark chocolate and dark chocolate with almonds will also be available.

The Green Sanctuary Committee is a group dedicated to helping the BUUC congregation live out its commitment to the Earth by creating sustainable lifestyle alternatives for its members. “Our goal is to make the BUUC and the surrounding community more ecologically aware or ‘green,’” said Barbara Hale, committee chair. “Part of our work toward the sustainable lifestyle includes ecological and environmental justice.”

The fair trade items being sold come from artisan cooperatives Latin America. According to the Colores del Pueblo web site, the sale of these items pays the artisans a fair price, giving them “an alternative to leaving their homes, living in a shanty town, or working in a sweat shop. Buying socially responsible gifts can help empower women, children, and the economically disadvantaged and help them gain some control over their lives.”

The coffee, chocolate, and tea come from the Equal Exchange Interfaith Program and are organically grown products from Central and South America. “The Equal Exchange is a worker-owned fair trade organization that buys from small farmer cooperatives around the world,” said Hale. “By eliminating middlemen and by working directly with small farmer cooperatives, Equal Exchange ensures that farmers receive a much larger share of the profits than they would on the depressed world commodities market.”     -#30-

Editor: For more information or to arrange a photo opportunity please contact Barbara Hale at 508-347-7821.