Christmas coffee and chocolate

Again this Advent we’ll have two opportunities available to consider alternate gift types that might appeal to the minimalists in your life as well as those striving to live a lifestyle that puts people first.

In the back of the parish hall, we’ll have fairly traded items from Equal Exchange available, including coffee, cocoa and chocolate - and new this year, tea! These things have been grown in sustainable ways, purchased from farmers at a living wage and a portion of the proceeds benefit the work of Episcopal Relief and Development, an organization that works in the US and in 40 countries around the world on sustainable development and emergency relief. (Fair to admit - it's the only coffee I drink because the decaf is actually good!) Alternatively, if you’d like to support their work fighting poverty, hunger and disease worldwide, more directly, you can “purchase” things from their Gifts for Life catalog in honor of a friend or loved one. The person in whose honor you are giving will receive a card with information about your donation and the program it supports. A fun idea might also be to have the cards mailed to your address so that you can include a small token with them when you give them to your friends or loved ones. For example, you might consider things like the following:

A goat to a family and goat cheese and crackers to someone who takes care of “kids”

A flock of chickens to a community and wine glass to the “chicks” in your life who listen to you whine and help you do life

A share of a community garden and a rosemary plant to someone who’s helped you to grow this year

Vitamins and preventative medicine to a child and fresh fruit to your favorite healthcare provider

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