Enormous bags of chocolate candies have appeared in supermarkets and drugstores as Halloween approaches. Almost all of them are made by Hershey’s, Mars and Nestle, three companies that have stubbornly refused to remove child slavery from their supply chains. Over a million children worldwide are estimated to work on cocoa plantations far from their families, with little or no pay, hazardous conditions, and no schooling. Often their parents sell them to the slavers in the belief that the children will be able to send money home, but even that consolation may never materialize. What’s the alternative? UUCPA’s chocolate sale!
Each year, hardworking UUCPA volunteers and staff buy fair-trade chocolate minis from Equal Exchange, bag them, and sell them at cost, so that you can flex your power as a consumer and make children’s lives sweeter in countries like Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire as well as in your neighborhood. As a Fair Trade organization, Equal Exchange aims to keep small farmers an active part of the world marketplace, empower consumers to make purchases that support their values, and of course create jobs that pay a fair wage and guarantee good conditions.
We’ll be selling chocolates on the patio after services on October 13 and 20 (and the 27th, if they haven’t sold out). You can also get more information there, and take other actions for a world with less slavery. If you’d like to do more and help with the chocolate sales, please contact the Action Council, actioncouncil@uucpa.org.