Nov 26, 2003 / 22:00 pm
Catholic Relief Services has launched a national campaign to raise awareness of unfair coffee-trade practices and promote the consumption of fair-trade coffee bought at living-wage prices by directly marketing it to the 65 million Catholics in the United States.
CRS Coffee Project, which aims at supporting struggling coffee farmers around the world, was launched Nov. 25. The CRS project also plans to help farmers diversify their crops and begin growing high-quality coffee.
The campaign also gives U.S. Catholics the opportunity to live out their faith, which calls them to learn about the injustices that exist in the world, actively work for justice and support the poor. One way U.S. Catholics can do this, says CRS, is to purchase fair-trade coffee.
“Starting your day with a cup of fair trade coffee is a simple way to have a direct, substantial impact on the lives of small-scale coffee farmers," said Joan Neal, CRS deputy executive director for U.S. Operations.