History of International Gifts Festival
The mission of the International Gifts Sale is to support world artisans and craftsmen through the sale of fair trade products.
We seek to promote cultural understanding in our community by providing
high-quality gift items from around the world.
An International Gifts Festival was first held in November, 1995, when a group of ladies from the Juniata County area wanted to share their excitement about shopping Fair Trade through Ten Thousand Villages. Ten Thousand Villages was a program of Mennonite Central Committee, the relief, development and peace organization of North American Anabaptist churches, and is headquartered in Akron, PA.
The sale was coordinated by Linda Geissinger and featured items from the Ten thousand Villages Shop in Mechanicsburg, PA. This shop ordered, delivered, set up and sold Villages items at the Cedar Grove Brethren in Christ Church, Mifflintown, PA. Volunteers from the area helped unpack and display the handcrafted items. The first year’s goal was to sell $4,000. Instead over $8,000 worth of Fair Trade items from Ten Thousand Villages were sold during this 2 day event. The community was excited to be able to assist artisans in third world countries who were either unemployed or under employed through the program of Ten Thousand Villages. The sale of their handcrafted items enabled these artisans to add protein to their diet, send their children to school, and supply their families with the basic necessities of life.
Each year since 1995 this sale has been held at the Cedar Grove Brethren in Christ Church, Mifflintown, except for 2 years when it was held at Abundant Blessings Thrift Shop (an MCC Thrift Shop Network shop). The coordinators soon discovered that they needed more room to display the hand crafted items, and moved it back to Cedar Grove Church.
Also during this time, the festival sale coordinators decided to add additional Fair Trade items to this event. SERRV, a program of the Church of the Brethren, headquartered in Westminster, Maryland, added a new dimension to the event with the addition of Divine Chocolate products. Additional new products of bean soup mixes, jams, rice, soaps and candles from SERRV were offered for sale.
In 2012 two more Fair Trade organizations have been added to this International Gifts Sale. Bead for Life and WAR International both add additional affordable jewelry and other hand crafted items by artisans from around the world.
Current International Gifts Sale Coordinator, Deb Richmond, with assistants, Linda Geissinger and Sheryl Mummau, encourage you to shop Fair Trade. By shopping Fair Trade, you will help skilled artisans in third world countries receive a fair price for their handcrafted wares, create employment opportunities and assist them in being able to pay for uniforms, books and additional fees in order to send their children to school and provide better opportunities for their future.
The sale was coordinated by Linda Geissinger and featured items from the Ten thousand Villages Shop in Mechanicsburg, PA. This shop ordered, delivered, set up and sold Villages items at the Cedar Grove Brethren in Christ Church, Mifflintown, PA. Volunteers from the area helped unpack and display the handcrafted items. The first year’s goal was to sell $4,000. Instead over $8,000 worth of Fair Trade items from Ten Thousand Villages were sold during this 2 day event. The community was excited to be able to assist artisans in third world countries who were either unemployed or under employed through the program of Ten Thousand Villages. The sale of their handcrafted items enabled these artisans to add protein to their diet, send their children to school, and supply their families with the basic necessities of life.
Each year since 1995 this sale has been held at the Cedar Grove Brethren in Christ Church, Mifflintown, except for 2 years when it was held at Abundant Blessings Thrift Shop (an MCC Thrift Shop Network shop). The coordinators soon discovered that they needed more room to display the hand crafted items, and moved it back to Cedar Grove Church.
Also during this time, the festival sale coordinators decided to add additional Fair Trade items to this event. SERRV, a program of the Church of the Brethren, headquartered in Westminster, Maryland, added a new dimension to the event with the addition of Divine Chocolate products. Additional new products of bean soup mixes, jams, rice, soaps and candles from SERRV were offered for sale.
In 2012 two more Fair Trade organizations have been added to this International Gifts Sale. Bead for Life and WAR International both add additional affordable jewelry and other hand crafted items by artisans from around the world.
Current International Gifts Sale Coordinator, Deb Richmond, with assistants, Linda Geissinger and Sheryl Mummau, encourage you to shop Fair Trade. By shopping Fair Trade, you will help skilled artisans in third world countries receive a fair price for their handcrafted wares, create employment opportunities and assist them in being able to pay for uniforms, books and additional fees in order to send their children to school and provide better opportunities for their future.
