Support Social Justice at the Alternative Holiday Fair at Edgewood United Church

Would you like to do your holiday shopping at a place where your purchases support socially worthwhile causes? Are you searching for unusual gifts made by artisans in Michigan and from around the world? Then, come to the Peace Education Center’s annual Alternative Holiday Sale on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The sale will be held at Edgewood United Church at 469 N. Hagadorn Road in East Lansing.

The Alternative Holiday Sale gives the Greater Lansing community the opportunity to meet and shop with others in the peace and justice community while supporting local businesses, nonprofit groups, and fair trade cooperatives. This is a fair where you can buy UNICEF cards, cooperative games, locally-made crafts, jewelry, ceramics, books, olive oil from Palestine, sweet-smelling soaps and many other items. Ten Thousand Villages, a non-profit cooperative, will sell fair-trade gifts made by artisans from 35 countries. It is a partner with the Mennonite Central Committee.

Dozens of vendors will be on hand along with tables containing information about groups that support social, environmental and racial justice. Enjoy home-made soup, coffee, tea and baked goods. Support progressive organizations and feel good about your purchases.

To find out more about this sale or to reserve a table to sell your wares, contact Ruth Borgelt at rmborgie@gmail.com or peaceedcenter@gmail.com or call the Peace Education Center’s office at 517-515-5634. The nonprofit center has been working towards peace and justice for almost half a century in the Greater Lansing area.

Among its projects this year was Peace Quest 2016, a 10-day series of lectures, films and workshops that was held in September and co-sponsored with the Greater Lansing United Nations Association. The center also supports vigils, scholarships, nonviolence training and efforts to reduce conflicts in Michigan and around the world.

Jim Detjen is a member of the board of directors of the Peace Education Center and chair of the environmental task force at Edgewood United Church. He is the Knight Professor in Journalism Emeritus at Michigan State University