The first weekend of the month (September through June), we sell Equal Exchange Fair Trade coffee, chocolate, tea, and snacks to parishioners after all Masses.
 
As the second most heavily traded commodity in the world, coffee is a link between those of us who drink it and farming communities in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Yet the small farmers who grow coffee, chocolate, tea, or other commodities often struggle to make a simple living. Cut off from markets, they are forced to accept low prices. In partnership with faith-based organizations, such as Holy Name of Mary, Equal Exchange is a bridge between these farmers and us. Trading directly with democratically-organized small farmer cooperatives, Equal Exchange facilitates farmers’ access to credit; pays them a guaranteed minimum price that provides a stable source of income as well as improved social services; and teaches them sustainable agriculture and environmentally-sound business practices.
 
By regularly selling Fair Trade coffee, chocolate, tea, and snacks we not only support these socially just acts, but also help raise consciousness regarding the contribution of Fair Trade to a more equitable, democratic and sustainable world.
 
During 2011 Holy Name of Mary was among the top 250 out of some 10,000 ordering accounts in Equal Exchange’s Interfaith Program. That is, our total purchases of $6,255 placed us in their top 2.5 percent of Fair Trade food sellers. Since we began selling Fair Trade coffee, chocolate, and snacks at HNM in April 2005, we have purchased some $40,000 worth of these Fair Trade products.
 
We hope that more HNM parishioners will purchase our Fair Trade products and that more parish ministries and organizations will use Fair Trade coffee at their meetings and events.
 
What kind of support we need from Parish volunteers:   We need volunteers for Fair Trade sales once each month – especially at the 5:00 PM Saturday or 7:45 AM Sunday Masses as back-ups when regular volunteers are unavailable.
 
Contact:     John or Mary Lally at 271-5628