The Love Alliance Newsletter #40
October 6, 2010

October is Fair Trade Month. Read about how we can make a difference in our everday life by participating in this month's Action Project.

LAST MONTH - HAPPENINGS

At the end of September our Groups Coordinator, Candice Gordon, left for Kona, Hawaii, to start the YWAM Compassion DTS.  We are excited for this next step she is taking to play an active role in eradicating injustice in the world and we are so thankful for the years of service she has given to The Love Alliance.  She has been an integral part of what we do.  She will be missed.

LAST MONTH - ACTION PROJECT

Last month we held our 4th Annual Love Alliance Fall Cleaning.  Again we saw a great turn out and success with this Action Project.  Our Melbourne, FL Group cleaned out their closets and houses and are having a garage sale to help raise funds for No Limits Academy, a local school for physically disabled children ages 6 to 21, whose students are also members of The Love Alliance group.

THIS MONTH - HAPPENINGS

Planning continues for The Love Alliance.  We are having meetings and we are bringing in more people to help live out our vision.  We are so excited about the future and we are antsy to let everyone know what changes are coming.  But we can’t reveal anything yet.  It is going to be a great next year!

THIS MONTH - ACTION PROJECT

October is Fair Trade Month and as always we want to focus on human trafficking and fair trade this month.  While researching we came across some startling statistics.  World coffee production is estimated at 110 - 120 MILLION bags per year.  Coffee is the world's second-most-valuable commodity exported by developing countries, after oil. While a lot of coffee is being sold, coffee farmers receive only one percent or less of the price of a cup of conventional coffee sold at a coffee shop.  Farmers receive only about six percent of the price of a bag of conventional coffee bought in the supermarket. Often times small coffee farmers are forced to sell to middlemen who pay them half the market price, generally between $.30-.50 per pound.

Americans consume 400 MILLION cups of coffee per day, or equivalent to 146,000,000,000 (146 BILLION) cups of coffee per year; making the United States the LEADING CONSUMER of coffee in the world.  Coffee is good… to many they would say it is great, but as the leading consumers we need to make sure that we are consuming fair trade and non-exploited coffee.  As we have said in the past, the great thing about our society is that it is based on supply and demand.  If we demand fair trade items, the more accessible they will become.

For the month of October we are asking you to request and drink only fair trade coffee whenever possible.  Ask your favorite coffee shop if they have a fair trade option (they often do).  Buy fair trade coffee from the supermarket to make at home, etc.  We have created an extensive list of fair trade coffee separated by coffee bought at the store; coffee by the cup; and coffee brands.

You can click here to view our list of Fair Trade Coffees.  A few examples include: Starbucks Cafe Estima, Dunkin Doughnuts Espresso Drinks, Newman’s Own Coffees, Sam’s Choice Fair Trade Certified Coffees, etc.