|
UMCOR Comes Through for Farmers |
|
|
|
Written by Peter Buck
|
United Methodists across the country are part of a strong
and growing partnership that has come through for farmers
again and again. Equal Exchange and the United Methodist
Committee on Relief launched the UMCOR Coffee Project in
2002; to date, more than 1,700 congregations have participated.
In 2005, project participants purchased almost 41 tons of coffee,
tea, cocoa, and chocolate. The participation of the United
Methodist Church has helped to extend the benefits of Fair
Trade to thousands of farming families and has supported a project
that has responded to farming cooperatives in times of need.
When Hurricane Jeanne swept through the Dominican
Republic in 2004, UMCOR stepped forward with $20,000
for the farmers of CONACADO, who provide the cocoa in
Equal Exchange’s organic cocoa products and some of the
chocolate in Equal Exchange’s organic chocolate bars.
CONACADO used the grants to buy food for its farmers so
that they could stay on their farms and repair the damage to
their trees, rather than being forced to leave their farms to find
work elsewhere. In 2005, Hurricane Stan devastated major
areas in southern Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador. In
response, UMCOR rapidly donated $70,000 for emergency
food aid and medical kits for four of Equal Exchange’s trading
partners in the region.
The UMCOR Coffee Project continues to grow! Methodists
have traveled with Equal Exchange to visit farming cooperatives,
welcomed farmers to speak at their churches, and served countless
gallons of Equal Exchange coffee at local, regional, and
national church gatherings. This fall, at their Christmas Gifts of
Grace Market, the Highland Park United Methodist Church
in Dallas, Texas bought almost 600 pounds of Equal Exchange
coffee, chocolate, cocoa, and tea, a record-setting single order
for the UMCOR Coffee Project. Rev. Linda Roby of Highland
Park commented: “Our congregation was eager to participate,
and the response was beyond our expectations. Educating our
congregation about UMCOR’s coffee project is the first step in
helping to bring change to our neighbors around the world.”
This is the third in a series spotlighting our Interfaith Partners: For more information about the UMCOR Coffee Project visit http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/hunger/coffee.cfm or to
learn about our other partnerships, visit the Interfaith Program section.
|
Our Co-op 
