SIM supports Fairtrade movement in Middlesbrough as it aims to improve the lives of some of the world’s poorest farmers by pressuring suppliers to give them a price for their goods closer to that which we pay in the shops.
However, due to the current situation caused by the pandemic, Fairtade movement has been affected.
In the words of Jenny Medhurst (who has been promoting Fairtrade in Teesside for the last 35 years), “prices (tea by 40%, cocoa by 25%) and orders (Kenya has lost two thirds of its orders for Fairtrade flowers) have collapsed. Huge numbers of people have lost their jobs and are struggling to feed their families.”
Hence, supporting Fairtrade has, now, become more important than ever.
Jenny suggests the following ways to help Fairtrade:
- An occasional, or regular food order for your own needs would be really helpful. (Perhaps, you could encourage a neighbour to shop with you.)
- And/or, perhaps, you could you buy a present for a self-isolating friend or an over-worked key worker neighbour. Such as,
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- a treat box of chocolates and biscuits
- a store cupboard box of food essentials-perhaps tea,coffee,rice,muesli,pasta,biscuits,fish and oil.
- the Palestinian ingredients for Nigella Lawson’s delicious chocolate olive oil cake which is dairy and gluten free (Chocolate Olive Oil Cake)
- a box of environmentally friendly spring cleaning products
- a rainbow striped teapot and mug or egg cup (see below)
- a small gift – a pair of socks, a spectacles holder, a scarf, a candle, a special soap or a handmade card.
Attached is Jenny’s current food/cleaning products order form (Food Summer 2020) with details of order size, payment and delivery options at the end. She can be contacted at 01740 630475.
Support Fairtrade to be Fair