Issue date: 2/28/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Alyssa Moore/Submitted Photo Cathy Yungmann, associate professor of communications enjoys making a sundae. Offered in Jazzman's now is at least one fair trade coffee a day. The coffee in the student restaurant catering is 100 percent fair trade and the bananas in all locations are now fair trade.

In the past two years Cabrini has begun to offer fair trade coffee. This year, Sodexho Food Services' contribution to fair trade has become even more significant because Cabrini is now one of the few college campuses that offer fair trade bananas.

Coffee is no longer the only fair trade product offered at Cabrini. On Feb. 1, fair trade bananas were available on campus. On Feb. 20 a fair trade banana- split event was held in the Wolfington Center to honor Sodexho Food Services for their help in bringing fair trade bananas on campus.

"We wanted to celebrate, recognize and thank Sodexho for their commitment by throwing a little party or event," Dr. Mary Laver, director of applied Catholic social teaching, said.

Fair trade coffee was first available at Cabrini last year in hopes of starting a growing trend of fair trade products on campus. Catholic Relief Services and student activists have been working with Sodexho, members of the faculty and Cabrini's food services and retail staff, on spreading the awareness of fair trade on campus.

Fair trade is an approach to purchasing products as directly as possible from the growers or producers in struggling communities around the world. This way, the profits remain in those areas and strengthen them so people don't lose their farms or businesses.

Drew Niemann the general manager of food services at Cabrini has been one of the many people who have been working on fair trade on Cabrini's campus since the start. "I like to think that we are working on this initiative together," Niemann said. "This year we have been working with a group of students who have great ideas."

Senior English communication majors Patricia Sheehan as well as Yadira Toledo and junior psychology and special education major Jessica Zawrotny are the CRS fair trade ambassadors this year.

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