Five Shreveport churches have joined efforts to put on a fair-trade "mission marketplace" Saturday at St. Joseph Family Center.
The handmade items for sale – like organic chocolate, nativity scenes, and olive oil – come from artisans in Uganda, Haiti, Israel and Palestine.
Kay Lee of Broadmoor Presbyterian Church helped found Mission Marketplace six years ago.
“We feel that it’s one way to help global missions to fight poverty to also give the artisans a chance to sell their wares, and make them feel rather than just give them charity we’re teaching them to fish, rather than just giving them fish,” Lee said.
Lee says thousands of fair-trade goods will be for sale. All proceeds go back to the mission to support education for children in underdeveloped nations and to promote livable wages for women in those countries.
“We have organic dark chocolate. We have olive oil from the Holy Land. We have all kinds of coffee and tea. We have lots and lots of Christmas decorations and nativities in every color, kind, creed and culture,” Lee said.
The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 211 Atlantic Street in Shreveport.
