Ascension Fair Trade in ’22 — And Beyond!

The saying goes that we lose track of time because we’re having so much fun… Isn’t that the truth!  It is hard to believe that this past year of Fair Trade at Ascension has come and gone, but we’re ready to start another great year of promoting justice for people and our planet through Fair Trade. We’ve received updates from some of our Fair Trade partners & friends sharing news about the impact of Fair Trade in 2022. More news will be shared next month as more of our partners complete their year-end reports. For now, here are just a few highlights:

SERRV ordered more than $2.5M in handcrafts and food items working with 54 Fair Trade partners in 21 countries and adding over 300 new catalog items. SERRV partners continued protecting the environment through rainwater preservation, waste water filtration, solar powering for offices and workshops and expanding the scope of upcycling and recycling. Fair Trade promotes peace-making as farmer and artisan communities benefit from collaboration and acceptance, preserving ethnic traditions and culture while building financial independence and peaceful coexistence. SERRV’s vision is “a better world in the making”.  It’s a vision we share.

Fair Trade LA launched 14 episodes of their new FAIR Talks Podcast program in 2022  and there were over 2800 downloads during the year! (FAIR Talks Podcasts can be found wherever you listen to podcasts). The podcasts bring hopeful news of justice and sustainability when at times there seems to be more bad news instead of good news.  FTLA invites us and all of its member groups to fill up 2023 with more life-giving and life-changing work.

National Fair Trade certification groups have shared good news too.  Fairtrade America shares that more than $224M in Fairtrade premiums went to farm communities in 2021 and farmers attended COP27 sharing comments about climate change impact on their farming.   Fair Trade USA shared that there was double-digit year-over-year growth in sales of Fair Trade Certified products from more than 1 million certified producers worldwide despite the many economic challenges of the year. They also share that the multiplier effect of program investments resulted in substantial positive impact on producers and their communities. 

2022 was a big year for us too as we celebrated the 20th Anniversary of Fair Trade at Ascension.  It was a year of “firsts” including our first 2 outdoor Fair Trade Gift Fairs with Fair Trade LA member vendors, our first Fair Trade winetasting event, our first Fair Trade chocolate tasting event and our first Fair Trade class presentation at Ascension’s School. “Firsts” are wonderful but we like “seconds” and “thirds” too as it means we are continuing to celebrate and grow the scope of Fair Trade at Ascension and our mission to promote justice for people and planet through Fair Trade.  Everyone is always invited to join in our events and activities.  And so we say…

Goodbye 2022. Hello 2023!

We kick-off 2023 with the first ordering opportunity of the year. Orders for Fair Trade chocolate, coffee, tea, snacks and cheese can be placed January 15 -29, 2023. The January 2023 ordering form is posted to Ascension’s Fair Trade webpage and also HERE. Paper copies are also available in the church office and in the blue folder at the Information Desk in the West Narthex. 

New this time are Brewer’s Chocolate Chip & Sea Salt cookies! 

This is a great opportunity to order items for Valentine’s Day giving & sharing as well as for Super Bowl Game Day noshing with family & friends – two great opportunities to celebrate the Fair Trade Way.

Orders must be placed by Sunday, January 29 at Noon.  We hope to have orders ready for pick-up February 8-12. Email notice will go out with order pick-up details.

We look forward to another wonderful year of Fair Trade at Ascension as we promote justice for people and our planet through Fair Trade.  And, as we enjoy fun & fellowship in the doing!