The annual Fair Trade and Handmade Bazaar, sponsored by the Dutchess County Interfaith Council (DCIC), will take place at the Hellenic Center, in Poughkeepsie, on December 7 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and December 8 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“We believe in the connection between shopping choices in the United States, and poverty and environmental damage throughout the world,” says Fair Trade Bazaar committee member Pat Lamana.

Every November, the DCIC co-sponsors the Bazaar with the Unitarian Universalist Church of Poughkeepsie. The Fair Trade Bazaar committee pulls together nonprofits, local craftspeople and vendors selling handcrafted merchandise from around the world. All international merchandise featured is purchased from cooperatives of craftspeople who receive fair pay for their work.

The Bazaar, which features a variety of multicultural fair trade items, is intended to give holiday shoppers an opportunity to align their gift giving with the principles of the holidays. Items available for sale will include fair trade coffee and chocolate, fine jewelry, woven baskets, pottery and more, with imports from Uganda, Thailand, the Amazon rain forest and Haiti. There will also be homemade treats made with ethically sourced ingredients. Local artisans and artists such as Larry Decker and Lynne James will be present, as well as local nonprofits such as the Poughkeepsie Farm Project and the Hudson Valley Folk Guild. 

Location: The Hellenic Center, 54 Park Ave., Poughkeepsie, NY. For more information, contact Lamanna at 845.309.3853 or [email protected], visit the Hudson Valley Fair Trade and Handmade Bazaar on Facebook, or visit DutchessCountyInterfaith.org.