Sweet Justice for Valentine's Day Interested in chocolate, hot cocoa mix and other Valentine's Day treats for Feb. 14, 2010? Click here to order from Equal Exchange. (Your purchases through this link support the LRC Fair Trade Project.) For coffee lovers, the same applies when you order chocolate java drops from Dean's Beans. To share the love with Fair Trade cocoa farming families, visit Global Exchange where you will find inserts for your Valentine cards, an animated E-Valentine and more. Also, take a few minutes to send U.S. Agriculture Sec. Tom Vilsack a valentine urging him to ensure that the candy we share with loved ones next Valentine's Day is not spoiled by the bitterness of child labor. This Valentine's Day of Action campaign is led by the American Federation of Teachers. NYSUT, an AFT affiliate is also taking part in the action.

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Reverse Trick-or-Treating gives Fair Trade chocolate back to adults on Halloween
The LRC Fair Trade Project and New York State United Teachers work together to promote Fair Trade, including during the Halloween season. An estimated quarter million people distributing candy at their door received a sample of Fair Trade chocolate for Halloween 2009! For teachers, Reverse Trick-or-Treating has provided opportunities for their students to learn about fair trade as an alternative to child labor. For more, read "'Reverse' trick-or-treating teaches important lesson," published Oct. 29 in the Times Beacon Record and "A sweet way to learn a lesson about Fair Trade" from New York Teacher, Nov. 6, 2009.

The program provides a small Fair Trade chocolate bar accompanied by a card (PDF) informing recipients of poverty and child labor problems in the chocolate industry. The card also includes information about sources of mainstream candy enjoyed at Halloween and around the year, and how Fair Trade certified chocolate provides a solution.

Reverse Trick-or-Treating kits have been FREE thanks to the generous donations of Fair Trade chocolate companies including LRC partner, Equal Exchange. Participants pay the cost of shipping and packing supplies, which is $5.50. Each kit contains materials for one group of Reverse Trick-or-Treaters. Participants give one card with chocolate to each household they visit. Each kit contains approximately 20-25 cards. Reverse Trick-or-Treating is an iniatiative of Global Exchange's Sweet Smarts network.

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Labor leaders* promote Fair trade coffee at fundraiser for Special Olymnics New York

“Special Olympics Blend” Fair Trade coffee was a gift for each guest at the Salute to Labor Dinner on November 1, 2006, benefiting Special Olympics, New York. The Albany, NY event honored President Danny Donohue of the Civil Service Employees Association, for his leadership in the fight for fairness and respect of all individuals, including those with intellectual disabilities.

The gifts were especially appropriate because fair trade products also respect human dignity. Each package of Dean’s Beans coffee is fair trade certified, which guarantees a living wage for growers, safe and humane working conditions, no child labor and public accountability.

The special label on each 4 oz. package read “Special Olympics Blend Honoring CSEA’s Danny Donohue.” The gifts were courtesy of Pearl Carroll & Associates in special arrangement with CSEA and the New York State Labor-Religion Coalition Fair Trade Project.