A Lichfield retailer is asking shoppers to “do good at home and overseas” during Fairtrade Fortnight.
The theme of this year’s fortnight – which runs from 22nd February to 7th March – is ‘choose the world you want’ and aims to highlight the challenges facing communities in areas such as Kenya, Ethiopia and Honduras.
Central England Co-op has supported the Fairtrade movement for the past 25 years and will be promoting goods including chocolate from Sierra Leone and bananas from Panama.
But the company is also hoping to use the event to encourage people to add items to food bank donation points in shops.
Store manager Brad Tuckfield said:
“Our food stores stock some wonderful Fairtrade products, from delicious chocolate and a wide range of coffees, to quality wines and even fairly traded rubber gloves, which directly support people in some of the poorest parts of the world to earn a fair wage.
“However, we also take our role as a retailer at the heart of our communities very seriously which is why we also want to use this opportunity to encourage our generous customers and members, if they can, to also pick up an extra item or two with their Fairtrade products to support our food bank collections, helping those in need both at home and overseas in these uncertain times.”
Brad Tuckfield
Items that can be donated via store food bank collection points include shopping basket staples from tea, sugar and cereals to other essentials such as toiletries and hygiene products.