South Florida Fair Trade Alliance: Mission Gifts

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Mission Gifts

After more than 20 years of doing development work in Asia, Mission Gifts has just opened it's first full-scale retail store, on Las Olas Blvd. in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Mission Gift's focus is on providing employment for rescue centers around the world, working with victims of human trafficking, street children, people leaving prostitution, HIV-AIDS patients and dump dwellers. Pictured (top) are Puresa Organics cotton and jute handbags made in Nepal and India, Hagar bags made from recycled feed sacks/Cambodia & Viet Nam, and shorts made from recycled floursacks in the Philippines. Second picture: XSProject bag made from recycled toothpaste packaging, from Indonesia. Third picture: "Light of the World Lamps", sold exclusively through Mission Gifts and the Upper Room Art Gallery, contain bamboo and organic (tree-free) handmade paper from an economic development project among the poor in the Philippines. Last picture: organic handmade soaps, packaged in gift boxes made from handmade paper.

MISSION GIFTS is located at 1200 E. Las Olas Blvd, Fort Lauderdale 33301 and has free indoor parking just off of Tarpon Drive, for it's customers. 954-828-1505. http://www.missiongifts.net/

Current hours are: Tuesday-Thursday: 1:00-7:00pm, Friday: 2:00-10:30pm, Saturday: 4:00-10:30pm

Closed Sunday & Monday

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2010 Crown Awards EDITORS CHOICE AWARD goes to Mission Gifts & Upper Room Art Gallery

South Florida Parenting Magazine awarded their 2010 Kids Crown Awards EDITORS CHOICE Award to Mission Gifts and Upper Room Art Gallery:

EDITOR'S CHOICE
Most Unique Gallery
Upper Room Art Gallery/Mission Gifts
1200 E. Las Olas Blvd., Suite 104, Fort Lauderdale
954-828-1505, www.upperroomartgallery.com, www.missiongifts.net
You'll get more than just a lesson in beautiful art at the Upper Room Art Gallery, founded by former missionary to the Philippines and mother of two Robin Haines Merrilll. An outing to South Florida's first fair trade art gallery and gift shop will teach your kids about real issues in a creative way. The artwork displayed here specializes in organic and recycled materials and is created by artists and designers from around the world who specialize in environmental design, global poverty alleviation and social justice. Mission Gifts, the on-site gift shop, houses items made by rescue and relief centers from around the world. Some of the unique items include mermaid bags made in Cambodia of recycled rice and feed sacks.

FAIR TRADE

Fair Trade organizations are concerned about the PRODUCER of the product. Care is taken to ensure that above minimum wage is paid, more like a "living wage". Furthermore, many groups help to facilitate benefits such as access to medical care, clean water, and bank accounts that help break the cycle of poverty.

In Florida, the Upper Room Art Gallery has helped organize the South Florida Fair Trade Alliance; a friendly group of Fair Trade organizations that seek to promote Fair Trade awareness in South Florida and sell the products in the local marketplace.

If you are aware of a Fair Trade group that is not listed in this blog, please contact Robin Merrill at robin@upperroomartgallery.com, or call at 954.828.1505.