ABHMS encourages gifting fair trade chocolate this Valentine’s Day

VALLEY FORGE, PA (2/9/17)—As a supporter of Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America (BPFNA), American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS) asks American Baptists to consider gifting organic, fair trade chocolate this Valentine’s Day via BPFNA’s Baptist Fair Trade Project.

A collaboration between BPFNA and the worker-owned cooperative Equal Exchange, the Baptist Fair Trade Project seeks to involve Baptist individuals and congregations in supporting small farmers around the world. For each pound of fair trade chocolate, coffee and other food purchased through the project, 15 cents is donated to BPFNA’s Friendship Tour Scholarship Fund.

Fair trade allows farmers to support their families, gain control of their livelihood, remain on their land and invest in their community’s education and social services.

“The Baptist Fair Trade Project is a perfect win-win-win,” says BPFNA Executive Director LeDayne Polaski. “It supports small farmers as they work to sustain their families and communities. It supplies congregations with high-quality, fairly traded goods along with opportunities for increased understanding of economic equity. It creates opportunities for intercultural exchange through scholarships for Friendship Tours. It’s a truly beautiful project.”

In addition to American Baptists gifting fair trade chocolate for the holiday, American Baptist congregations might consider fundraising via fair trade chocolate sales, offering fair trade gift baskets at church bazaars, and serving fair trade coffee, tea and hot chocolate during fellowship hour, Bible study and other church functions.

American Baptist Home Mission Societies partners with American Baptists in answering God’s call to promote Christian faith across the United States and Puerto Rico to cultivate Christ-centered leaders and disciples, and heal and transform communities, by developing aligned action networks and programs.

American Baptist Churches is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with more than 5,200 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.