Consider mindful giving this holiday season

Courtesy photo/Christine Armstrong for CRS

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Gifts purchased through Catholic Relief Services can benefit more than the recipient because a portion of the proceeds goes toward CRS' worldwide programs.

SALT LAKE CITY — With Black Friday and Cyber Monday almost upon us, the Christmas gift-buying frenzy has begun and the search for the cheapest, biggest or coolest gifts will soon reach its peak. Many people get sucked in by the frenzy to get the best deal out there, but the Diocese of Salt Lake City Global Solidarity Team suggests there is another way — mindful giving, an awareness of not only the recipient but the way in which the gift is produced and who produced it.

“We want people to think about who benefits or suffers from the items they purchase as gifts for others,” said Jean Hill, a member of the Global Solidarity Team. “When we purchase a gift, we should think not only about the receiver but also the person who made that gift.”

Many consumer goods and “great deals” are produced in sweatshops where thousands of people work in deplorable conditions for less than subsistence wages. In the fashion industry alone, there are more than 40 million garment workers, 85 percent of whom are women, who are some of the lowest paid workers in the world.

Catholics have a responsibility to their brothers and sisters who have less, including those who produce goods for public consumption, Hill said.

“Purchasing is always a moral — and not simply economic — act,” Pope Benedict XVI said in his 2009 Encyclical letter Caritas in veritate.

The Global Solidarity Team is sponsoring an ethical trade sale at the pastoral center on Wednesday, Nov. 26 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. While Hill said it is primarily for diocesan, cathedral and choir school employees because the number of items for sale is limited, the public is also welcome.

 Items for sale include chocolate, jewelry, scarves, pottery, gift items, ceramics, nativity sets and ornaments. These items, which are produced by growers and artisans from Peru, Africa, Asia, Israel and Latin America, are being offered through Catholic Relief Services.

In pursuit of ethical trade practices, Catholic Relief Services works with several partners who guarantee that those who produce the items they sell will be able to support their families. When an item is purchased through the organization’s website, a portion of the proceeds fund CRS programs worldwide, providing people in need with food, education and health care.

Those wishing to shop in a more socially-conscious way this holiday season can visit the CRS website at ethicaltrade.crs.org to purchase items from CRS partners Servv.org, Mata Traders, Equal Exchange and others. They can also seek out local stores like Harmon’s and Whole Foods that offer free trade coffee and chocolate, Hill said.

“People do want to do the right thing,” Hill said. “The items are good quality items that you often can’t find anywhere else. This is the best way to shop; it benefits not only yourself but also a lot of other people.”

Purchasing these goods helps workers avoid human trafficking and live in their home country while working sustainable and meaningful jobs, Hill said.