Inspiring Stories

"Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing." (Malachi 3:10)

These stories of Fair Trade and food marketplaces help show us the power of faith. Each story is a witness to God’s transformational power.

Coffee company takes ‘fair trade’ one step further

SACRAMENTO, CA — For the 15 years Tom Angus worked for a company that negotiated the lowest possible prices for coffee beans, he would occasionally travel to Costa Rica, meet with farmers and hear about their desperate poverty and how they were losing their land. [Read more]

Helping Third World One Banana at a Time
The New York Times
May 5, 2004
By expanding its reach to the produce section, Fair Trade is now trying to reach the American supermarket shopper.

Monsanto vs. the Milkman
Mother Jones
January/February 2004
A Maine dairy fights for the right to wear its hormone-free label.

Faithful Food
Social Justice and Food Production
by Diana A. Stephen

As we sit down to enjoy a meal and offer thanks to God for the food and the people who prepared it, I’ve become increasingly aware of the need to remember the people who produce our food — the farmers, ranchers and agricultural workers. Without them, food would never reach our tables.

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Church and Farmers' Market: A Productive Partnership

Some years ago a nonprofit organization was formed to bring a farmers' market to the Hollywood District of Portland. They started "Hollywood Farmers' Market — Where local growers bring in the harvest every week and the neighborhood celebrates."

The volunteer-driven Saturday morning market used a Washington Mutual Bank parking lot, but in 1999 the bank established Saturday business hours, leaving the market organizers desperate to find a new location.

Working with Rose City Park Presbyterian Church and Value Village, a resale shop, the group developed a plan to block off the street behind the church on Saturday mornings. All the necessary permits were obtained, and the joint venture began.

Church members help with setup and take down and staff the information booth. Vendors donate food to the Deacons' Produce Table — a project that last year brought in $3,000 for mission.

Other neighborhood churches — including New Life Korean Presbyterian Church, which meets in the Rose City Park facility — are invited to shop at the Deacons' Table. In addition, all leftover produce is taken downtown to organizations that cook for the hungry and homeless of Portland.

Everyone benefits from what could be called a fruitful collaboration. The neighborhood has a gathering place, healthful food is available at affordable prices, mission projects are funded and the hungry are fed. In addition, local entertainers perform, and the Rose City Park youth group has provided a haunted house for Halloween.

The partnership could well serve as a model for other communities. Contact the church or email the market at Hollywood.