Responding to the plight of millions of struggling coffee farmers worldwide,
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is working to get U.S. churches and parishioners
into the practice of buying “fair trade” coffee (a certified
product that guarantees farmers a fair price for their crops). "There’s
a lot of coffee being moved through faith communities," says Karen
Smith, director of CRS’ coffee program. "It’s tying into people’s
values, and they’re making conscious decisions based on their values."
Americans spend $19 billion on coffee each year. With 65 million Catholics
in the U.S., CRS is hopeful this new initiative can have a positive impact
on coffee farmers everywhere. /old_articles/Starbucks/faith_fair_trade.cfm