Uniquely crafted items will be sold at the O'Donnell Hall of American Martyrs Church Nov. 14-15 --- not to benefit the Manhattan Beach parish, but for the low-income artisans that created the pieces in different parts of the world.

The intent is to support "fair trade," said Lynn Fadale and Rhonda Hoffarth, two of the three organizers of the "alternative holiday gift market" where patrons can buy handcrafted toys, home accessories, jewelry, clothing, specialty foods, and other items - including handmade stationery made of elephant dung - produced by artisans from Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Peru and Kenya, among others.

Both Fadale and Hoffarth are part of Matthew 25, an American Martyrs service and social action group that sponsors the Fair Trade market, which will be open to the public after Mass Nov. 14 (4-7 p.m.) and Nov. 15 (9 a.m.-2 p.m.). Fair Trade is a program of Catholic Relief Services that promotes economic justice through the creation of partnerships between producers, most of them in third-world countries, and consumers.

The market has an educational purpose, said Hoffarth, the chief operating officer at a small business in El Segundo.

"We want to raise awareness that there is no cheap labor; the persons who made the products could be living from dignifying wages, but that is not happening," she asserted. "We are helping those people get out of poverty."

Hoffarth explained that some large U.S. companies contribute to what amounts to a slave market in other countries, such as Africa's Ivory Coast, where research indicates that workers in the cocoa fields who contribute to the prosperous chocolate industry suffer all kinds of mistreatment, including little or no salary. Child labor is also a constant.

"It is through Fair Trade that cocoa farmers learn sustainable living methods," Hoffarth said.

"This is when you use your dollars to live out the Gospel message," added Fadale, a court reporter who learned about Fair Trade organizations through an All Faith workshop she attended three years ago. She presented the concept to Matthew 25 members and to Msgr. John Barry, who in his 26 years as American Martyrs' pastor has fostered "enthusiasm, compassion and a giving heart" to the affluent Manhattan Beach Catholic community. Parishioners welcomed the idea.

"When Lynn or any of this wonderful group of people comes to me with an idea, I know it has been totally researched and they already know what it needs to be done," Msgr. Barry told The Tidings.

"I'd be foolish if I rejected their ideas," the veteran pastor continued. "These are wonderfully committed people who think outside the box and have caught the Gospel teachings as told in Matthew 25, serving the needs of the less fortunate, materially speaking."

In 2008, the first year the church got involved in fair trade market, Matthew 25 purchased about $1,800 worth of goods for sale to parishioners who went to the hall after each Mass for their usual donuts and coffee, and were delighted to find great gifts ideas. They could have found similar items at the mall, Hoffarth said, but "here their dollars were helping poor communities."

According to advocates, Fair Trade allows artisans and growers in underdeveloped countries to earn a fair price for their labor, gain access to credit and entrepreneurial training, and develop long-term relationships with grassroots organizations.

After last year's success, this year Matthew 25 will invest about $2,800 in items selected from a Fair Trade catalogue.

"We pretty much know what people like buying," said Hoffarth. Prices range from $3 for a small bag of spinach soup mix to $250 for an elaborate poncho.

Patrons will be able to order tamales made by Compton's St. Lawrence of Brindisi parishioners, with whom American Martyrs has a solid longtime partnership. They can also make donations to organizations such as Habitat for Humanity or Homeboys Industries.

For information about Fair Trade at American Martyrs Church, call (310) 545-5651, or visit www.americanmartyrs.org. For information about Fair Trade, visit www.crsfairtrade.org.