Outreach Committee
Committee Chair:
Lynn Erwin (lynnerwin@gmail.com)Waste time, improve your vocabulary, and alleviate world hunger....go to www.freerice.com
Honduran Coffee Co-Op Project
The Outreach Committee completed its first major fundraiser and raised $4366.67 for
the San Miguelito Coffee Co-Op! The cooperative was in desperate need of a roof to
cover their drying
facilities. Because of a world coffee crisis which affects
small scale coffee farmers, it was imperative for the health of the entire
villages, who depend solely on this product for their welfare, to come
together to form cooperatives to adequately support themselves.
Often these farmers have no choice but to sell their beans to
intermediaries who will only pay below living wages for the product.
With a roof to protect their beans, the farmers of all the surrounding villages are now able to seek Fair Trade Certification, which guarantees a decent profit. These farmers already abide by the guidelines required for this, including little or no pesticide use and fair labor practices.
Sara Schaefer, a Peace Corp worker and contact within the village, is from St. Mary's County, and her parents reside here as well. She offered, through the non-government organization called W.A.S.H (Water and Sanitation Health), to oversee the Church's fundraising project by ensuring that the money from Christ Church goes directly towards building materials.
100% of all donations went directly towards the Honduran Coffee Coop project.
Many thanks to all who participated: Christ Church vestry and Father Neat for their support, our dedicated congregation, the Outreach Committee, and the Schaeffers (parents of Peace Corp worker Sara Schaeffer.) But the real bulk of our apprecation goes to Donna, Cristina, & Jose Gutierrez and Rose & Jim Brinkmann, whose tremendously successful Latin Dinner & Dance night raised over $1100.
With a roof to protect their beans, the farmers of all the surrounding villages are now able to seek Fair Trade Certification, which guarantees a decent profit. These farmers already abide by the guidelines required for this, including little or no pesticide use and fair labor practices.
Sara Schaefer, a Peace Corp worker and contact within the village, is from St. Mary's County, and her parents reside here as well. She offered, through the non-government organization called W.A.S.H (Water and Sanitation Health), to oversee the Church's fundraising project by ensuring that the money from Christ Church goes directly towards building materials.
100% of all donations went directly towards the Honduran Coffee Coop project.
Many thanks to all who participated: Christ Church vestry and Father Neat for their support, our dedicated congregation, the Outreach Committee, and the Schaeffers (parents of Peace Corp worker Sara Schaeffer.) But the real bulk of our apprecation goes to Donna, Cristina, & Jose Gutierrez and Rose & Jim Brinkmann, whose tremendously successful Latin Dinner & Dance night raised over $1100.
| Read more about the project and Sara's efforts at http://www.somdnews.com/stories/061307/entemor172338_32094.shtml |