UMCOR's 100-Ton Challenge
UMCOR's 100-Ton Challenge
UMCOR is challenging United Methodists to help farmers earn fair prices for their crops by participating in UMCOR’s 100-Ton Challenge. The 12-month campaign encourages United Methodists to help increase the amount of fairly-traded coffee, tea, chocolate and snacks purchased through The UMCOR Coffee Project and its partner Equal Exchange, a 100 percent fair trade, worker-owned co-operative. Purchasing fairly-traded goods allows small-scale farmers to earn fair prices, invest in farm improvements, reduce debt, and improve their communities while providing a better life for themselves and their families.
UMCOR’s 100-Ton Challenge will begin on Saturday, May 10 in observance of World Fair Trade Day and will end May 9, 2009. The goal is to increase awareness about fair trade in United Methodist churches everywhere and leverage fairly traded products to help promote better lives for farmers in Latin America, Africa, Asia and the United States. As you enjoy fairly traded coffee, tea or chocolate, you are part of a partnership that helps farmers stay on their land, care for the environment, support their families and plan for the future.
Every Pound Counts
In 2007, United Methodists bought 68 tons (136,000 pounds) of fairly-traded products through the UMCOR Coffee Project—100 tons would be a new record. With every pound of product sold through the UMCOR Coffee Project, 15 cents goes to support farmers through UMCOR’s Sustainable Agricultural and Development Program. Through this program, farmers learn new methods of cultivating their crops that produce good yields and nutritious food. Farmers who depend on fair trade for a living, are better able to support their families, live healthier lives, and send their children to school. Join the 100-Ton Challenge and commit to doing more to support fair trade practices.
Fair Trade. Better Income.
The conventional coffee trade involves a long chain of buyers, processors, exporters, brokers and distributors between the farmer and the consumer—each taking their share of the price. Coffee farmers are left with little and often cannot cover ongoing production costs or living expenses. Fair trade eliminates the middlemen and farmers receive a larger proportion of the prices. This fair trade system allows farmers to earn a stable and fair price for their crops and delivers a fair price to consumers.
Under the principles of fair trade, importers also commit to buy only from small farmer co-operatives, and to establishing direct, long-term purchasing relationships with the co-ops, including support for sustainable agriculture and the offer of low-cost pre-harvest credit.
Ways You Can Support Fair Trade
- Serve Fairly Traded Coffee, Tea and Hot Chocolate at church events and during fellowship hour or bible study, and make it available to members for home use.
- Host a Coffee Tasting Event as an introduction to fair trade issues. Start with a small order of your favorite blend or flavors; brew your coffee and provide samples at your next church function. Download our UMCOR Coffee brochure, bulletin and order forms to have on-hand for distribution.
- Raise Funds with Fair Trade Chocolate by encouraging the youth in your congregation to begin promoting the sales of fairly-traded cocoa or chocolate as a fund raiser to support UMCOR’s Hunger/Poverty Program, Advance #982920. Have samples on-hand for tasting. Distribute order forms and information about fair trade.
- Order and Share Resources available on this page to help promote awareness about fair trade and by calling UMCOR’s fair trade partner, Equal Exchange at 774-776-7400. Pamphlets, table tents, posters and other educational materials are available from Equal Exchange and can be included with your order.
- Discuss Fair Trade Issues in church school classes and study groups. Provide local businesses with information about offering fairly trade products.
- Take a Free-Will Offering by passing around a basket on Sundays to support key hunger programs such as UMCOR's Sustainable Agriculture Program, UMCOR Advance #982188 or World Hunger/Poverty, UMCOR Advance # 982920.
For more ideas and ways you can show your support of fair trade visit Equal Exchange.
Send Us Your Stories!
Share your stories with us on how your church community or participating congregation is helping to raise awareness about fair trade through this challenge. Tell us about your fund raising events, successes and results. Also, send us photos of all your activities. UMCOR will consider your story entry as a special feature for an upcoming UMCOR Hotline news item which is posted online every Tuesday and on this web page as we tally our results throughout the year. You can submit stories and photos by email to umcor@umcor.org, place "Coffee Challenge News" on the subject line of your email.
