Whatever you do for the least of these

The last post was about trying to ensure our money doesn't go to enslave or harm other people. Now I want to talk about how we can use it for good. It's easy to live in our own little world and wonder really how much our daily choices matter. I'd like to present the argument that they matter more than we could ever know. Matthew 25:34-40 says, “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ "

In the spirit of honesty, I am going to let you know I am pretty new to the whole fair trade scene. So many phrases get tossed around in our culture, sometimes we don't give any thought to them. Or maybe I'm the only one like that. Anyhoo... That being said, I don't have a lot of favorites right now as I don't have a ton of experience in this area. I do, however, have a couple companies and a few resources I like to use.

Land of 1000 Hills Coffee - You can read their story here: https://landofathousandhills.com/ourstory, but basically, after the genocide in Rwanda, they went in and taught survivors a trade - growing coffee. The farmers are paid fair wages and have a dignified job. Plus, the coffee is fantastic. I haven't had any in a while (because no one here sells it and I don't plan ahead well enough to have it ordered before I run out of coffee in my house), but I will be ordering some soon. It's good stuff. Besides, their motto is "Drink Coffee Do Good". Can you think of a better motto??? Me either. I have two of their shirts. (I'd be lying if I said I didn't have my eye on another one.) I like this company. I like their coffee. I love their purpose. *Update* Since I started working on this post, I discovered Land of 1000 Hills has a special Adoption Journey blend for the month of November (National Adoption Month). $5 of every bag goes to help with the financial burden of adoption. You can purchase it here: http://landofathousandhills.com/index.php/adoption-journey-do-good-blend.html. I bought some yesterday. :)

Noonday Collection - I admit, this one seems a bit self-serving (as I am an ambassador for this company) but that is not my intent at all. I loved Noonday and who they are before I joined; that's WHY I joined. Noonday works with artisan groups in countries all over the world and brings their pieces here to create a market place for the artisans and their products. The artisans are paid a fair wage for their work and have a sustainable income due to the orders coming their way from people like you and me. Not only are individuals given opportunities, but entire communities are being changed, as artisan groups are able to hire more people to keep up with demand. Stateside, Noonday gives people like me a way to not just earn an income, but also the chance to be an advocate for orphans and families across the globe. Additionally, Noonday helps families here raise money for their adoptions with the option of using trunk shows as adoption fundraisers. Noonday Collection - style {made with love} - check it out at www.jenniferhostetler.noondaycollection.com. (Two of my favorite Noonday pieces? An adorable black clutch made out of upcycled VHS and cassette tapes by a special needs artisan group in India and a cool fringe paper bead necklace named for a former homeless man who is now building his own home. So cool.)

www.fairtuesday.org - I've just recently learned about Fair Tuesday. It is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving (and Black Friday and Cyber Monday). The website has 150 fair trade brands. Their purpose (directly from the site) is this: #FairTuesday is an ethical shopping movement created in response to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The goal of #FairTuesday is to inspire conscious consumerism and show how an everyday purchase can change lives in a whole community. #FairTuesday features fair trade, ethical, and eco-friendly brands all dedicated to creating positive, sustainable change.

www.free2work.org - I mentioned the free2work app in my last blog, but apparently the app is no longer available. Not sure what's up with that, but they do have a website with great resources.

Super fast and with the hopes of avoiding offending unintentionally, let's discuss the differences between charities and fair trade companies. While charities are wonderful and have their place, they cannot be counted on for sustainability. The old adage "give a man a fish"? Don't get me wrong - we support some charities. We sponsor a little girl through Compassion International and I am confident that our giving is changing the course of this little girl's life. But what happens if Andy loses his job? All of the sudden, a little girl in India may not be able to continue on in school or get medical care. Fair trade companies create work for people; and the more we shop these companies and advocate for the ethical treatment of workers, the more demand there is for the products. More demand = more work and possibly more employees. A dignified job has a better chance of sustainability than charity. I think it's two-fold; 1) When possible, buy fair trade (or at least from aboveboard companies), and 2) If you have extra, consider sending it out to others who may not have the opportunities we do. To quote Hello, Dolly, "Money, pardon the expression, is like manure. It's not worth a thing unless it is spread around, encouraging young things to grow." Let's just make sure we are trying to grow the right things...