With the passing of the Thanksgiving holiday, we are now into the Christmas shopping season. To counter the consumerism and tendency for stores to be loaded with merchandise made by forced child labor or foreign sweatshops, many parishes will this weekend kick off a "fair trade sale" or a "Work of Human Hands Sale." These efforts sell chocolates, handcrafts, coffee, tea, and gift baskets that are purchased at fair prices from growers, artists, and producers who receive a fair price for their merchandise and promise to operate according to just standards. The majority of the sales price goes directly back to those who made or grew the items. Such sales have been facilitated by Catholic Relief Services.
In the event you missed the sale, you can always shop for the same merchandise anytime online at www.crsfairtrade.org.
Copyright © 2009, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins.
