Fair Trade Teacher Gifts

Every June we have parents and kids who come to the store looking for a different kind of end of year teacher gift.

Some of the students have been inspired by what they have learned throughout the year about social justice issues, and others are just looking for something different. 

We are lucky that a number of our volunteers are retired teachers and have given us some great ideas!

One of the top suggestions was some of the books we have in the store, that teachers, especially those in the earlier years can use in their classroom.  The books celebrate different cultures through a variety of stories. 

Handmade musical instruments are another popular choice, especially for the music teacher.  With a variety of hand crafted percussion instruments, there is always something to keep a beat! The instruments come from producers in a number of countries and can often reflect their cultures and traditions. 

A more traditional choice could be one of the beautiful hand made mugs, with a bag of coffee or box of tea.  A large majority of ceramics come from the artisan group Craft Link in Vietnam.

Our volunteers are also able to help build custom gift baskets to meet any need.

OSCAR

We are so fortunate to have our stores in two vibrant communities in Ottawa, Westboro and Old Ottawa South.  Each community brings so much into our stores and our volunteers often live in these areas and walk in for their shifts. 

In fact it is our volunteers that help us connect not only with artisans we support, but the communities around us.  This month we are fortunate to be able to share some of those experiences in the OSCAR - the community paper for Old Ottawa South.  Our volunteers are the hearts of our stores and without their contributions we would not be able to support our Fair Trade producers and share the message of Fair Trade with the National Capital Region.

In 2012, our volunteers generously gave us nearly 5000 hours of their time helping customers, unpacking products and telling the stories of our Fair Trade producers.  We are so thankful for all of their contributions and the experience they bring to our stores.

You can read about two of our volunteers and why they give their time in the June edition of the OSCAR.

WestFest

It is very exciting that 2013 is the 10th Anniversary of WestFest.  This fabulous street festival happen right outside our 371 Richmond Road store in the heart of Westboro.  Each year there is a lot of activity out on the street and fabulous shows on the main stage. 

Joining us this year on the sidewalk are the enthusiastic volunteers from Fair Trade Ottawa Equitable! They are working hard to make Ottawa a Fair Trade city.  It is a chance to stop by and learn more about how supporting Fair Trade makes an impact on entire communities, as Fair Trade is more than just a fair price but an investment in a producer group and the communities they live in.

Celebrate Summer in a Fair Trade Hammock

Spending a warm summer day, relaxing in the shade with a good book and in a hammock is an easy thing to picture. 


A beautiful hammock chair made of cotton
for those without two trees


This June, we are making it easier for everyone to do that!

From June 1st to 30th, all of our Fair Trade hand made hammocks are 20% off, and with each purchase you will receive a coupon for $10 off your next purchase of $30 or more (before taxes and valid until July 31st, 2013). 

Both our stores carry a variety of hammocks, made of cotton and jute.  The cotton hammocks are made by ProExport in Nicaragua.  They work with more than 250 artisans in 60 workshops, providing marketing experience and production training in addition to the fair prices paid for all the products.

The jute hammocks come from Bangladesh from our producer group CORR- The Jute Works which was founded in 1973. There are 154 rural cooperatives with 4,000 artisan members that make up CORR- The Jute Works. The organization works with women regardless of the caste, religion or race. The group focuses on job training, literacy and health issues and seek to develop leadership skills and generate awareness of women's rights.  CORR also makes micro-credit loans available for their members to enable independent small business projects. 

Come in and see if we have the perfect hammock for your summer relaxation.

Crafty Volunteers

One of the greatest gifts we have in the stores are our volunteers.  They are the heart and soul of our stores and they give so much in order to make a difference in the lives of our producers. 

Each volunteer brings a wealth of experience and interests to the stores.  For some this is one of many volunteer positions for they hold, while for others it is their first experience volunteering. Our volunteers also bring a wide range of skills into the store, including craftiness. 

Two of our volunteers dedicated themselves to finding ways to upcycle our old coffee packets.  They now turn those used coffee packets into small envelopes and boxes for customers to have when they purchase jewellery as a gift!

One of our other volunteers shared her crafting adventures, on Craftster, an online community for those inspired to make their own.  She turned a Fair Trade hand made scarf into a bolero! Check it out with sewing instructions and a pattern. 

A hand made bolero from a Fair Trade hand made scarf!