Purchasing fair-trade coffee is a meaningful and just way to help coffee farmers earn a living wage that will provide for themselves and their families. Make purchasing fairly traded products a part of your personal and group justice ministries. You will be making a difference in the lives of coffee farmers worldwide.

A successful journey
For one year, starting in October 2003, Women of the ELCA partnered with the Lutheran World Relief Coffee Project and Equal Exchange to challenge women to double the amount of fairly traded coffee they purchased over the previous year. Thus began the 90-Ton Challenge. By the end of September 2004, we had surpassed the goal, reaching sales of 99 tons — more than double the sales of the previous year. It's not a surprise, but it is amazing what difference women make when they join hands for justice. Here is the month-by-month purchasing activity:

Keep on ordering
Let's not stop now. Keep on ordering fair-trade coffee (and tea and hot chocolate, too!) for your needs: home, congregation, gifts. For more information on the Lutheran World Relief Coffee Project and how you can help pour justice with your coffee order, visit the LWR Web site.