Local fair trade supporters, retailers and consumers gathered together this past Saturday, May 12 to celebrate World Fair Trade Day and give away free goods in honor of the day. As part of World Fair Trade Day a local Dayton store, Peace on Fifth, held the Free Fair Trade Goodie Giveaway event. The purpose of the event and World Fair Trade Day is to raise awareness on fair trade so consumers are conscious of what products they are buying. Fair trade products are those that come from workers who are compensated appropriately and the products can come from local businesses. Peace on Fifth is a supporter of fair trade and encourages people to join in to support it as well. Wright State University student, Abigail Reed is the Manager of Operations at Peace of Fifth and said the event went really well, lots of people from the community showed up to show support for the store and support for the products they sell. Peace on Fifth is locally owned and as of April 2012 became a permanent fixture in downtown Dayton. Reed says the store concentrates on products that support compassionate commerce. They carry slave free and fair trade, eco-friendly and locally produced products. “It’s important to buy slave free and fair trade products because it enables people who are underprivileged and in poverty all around the world to provide for themselves, their families and their communities,” said Reed. Students who are interested in the fair trade products and helping local businesses can check out the store to see what types of products the store carries. Peace on Fifth also has special events at the store every first Friday of a month and by going to their Facebook, www.facebook.com/thestoreatdipm, you can find out more information about the events. World Fair Trade Day is held every year on the second Saturday in May with over 80 countries participating. The Fair Trade Resource Network helps to coordinate the event in North America and this year around 100,000 people are expected to participate.
