Help Grow Fair Trade Support IV
CRS recently spoke with parishioners of St. Camillus Catholic Church in Silver Spring, MD, about their efforts to incorporate Fair Trade products into all of their activities and events.
If we want to use the St. Camillus model, what needs to be considered?
Here are some things to consider:
- How to form a team and encourage volunteers
- How to get support from parish leadership and the larger community
- Deciding on what to sell at what price and from whom to purchase
- Preparing handouts
- How to handle your orders
Using the St. Camillus experience as a model, you likely need a minimum of 5 – 6 people to get started. If your team starts holding Fair Trade sales at least two Sunday mornings, the organizer will find that they are spending an additional 10 – 15 hours a month organizing the team, handling logistics and making decisions about Fair Trade.
Is this the only model?
Everyone has their own story on how projects for social justice get started. While the St. Camillus experience is an excellent model, other models include:
- Buyers’ club
- Annual fairs and Work of Human Hands sales
- Fair Trade fundraisers for schools and other church-sponsored organizations such as the Boy Scouts
- Use of Fair Trade coffee and tea at community meetings and events like weddings
- Or a combination of these and other models.
If you have ideas to share on how to get started with Fair Trade at your parish, or if you want support in doing so, please e-mail fairtrade@crs.org! Many thanks to the Fair Trade team at St. Camillus for their example and good ideas.
More on St. Camilus Fair Trade.
Tags: fair trade
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