Outreach Ministry

Social Outreach Committee
The Social outreach committee works on and/or promotes projects that have a direct social impact. Such projects include but are not limited to: Burbank School (Thanksgiving baskets, readers, Christmas giving tree, and coats and boots), Mt. Meru Coffee (provides fair trade funds to the farmers directly and money to the Mt. Meru cooperative to help fund improvements such as schools and books), special projects (e.g. Pennies for Peace), Serenity House meals (more volunteers could be used), the RIC proposal and the play-date. We currently have 6 members: myself, Nancy Sack, Michelle Wegner, Barry Burns, Art Langlas and Wendy Buettner. We are trying to come up with ideas for additional outreach including the potential of renewing the partnership with Divine Word Lutheran Church and perhaps supplying project materials for the County Mental Health Children’s wing. If you have any suggestions, please drop a line in my mailbox in the Church office.~ VJ Meyer Chairperson

Volunteers Needed! Do you or someone you know need a volunteer to make a daily morning telephone call to help a frail or elderly citizen stay connected to the community while they remain living on their own? Interfaith Older Adult Programs’ Telephone Reassurance Program makes calls Monday-Friday to people over the age of 60 to ask how they are doing and remind them to take their medications if necessary. Please call Lynn Friedman at 414.220.8651 to make a referral or for more information.

MT MERU COFFEE PROJECT

In the past year the prices of coffee and the price paid to the producers, including the farmers who grow coffee for the Mt. Meru Coffee Project, have risen to equal the price levels that were paid prior to the 1990’s, when coffee farmers were making a decent living. In the 1990’s coffee prices fell sharply, so much so that many farmers struggled to survive or gave up trying to make their living growing coffee.

For the past 10 years the Mt. Meru Coffee Project, using an economically supportive and just payment program has helped many farmers to survive and even thrive during this period of low market pricing.

Ten years ago we started by paying farmers $2.00 per pound when prices were as low as .50 cents a pound. A couple years ago we increased to $2.20 a pound as prices approached $1.25 to $1.75 per pound. Today prices, on average, are exceeding $2.00 to $2.50 per pound, and in some instances approaching $3.00 per pound.

The price of coffee is historically cyclical and, as with most commodities, subject to supply and demand pressures. Presently coffee prices are increasing. This is due in part to climatic change, either too much rain, not enough rain, or rains at the wrong time, --having a devastating effect on coffee production in most every producing country. At the same time increased demand in emerging markets, such as China, has put pressure on a shrinking supply.

The big guys in the coffee business have had to increase retail prices to 10 to 15 percent to compensate for these increases. At this time the Mt. Meru Coffee Project is reluctantly required to do the same so that we can be fully prepared to provide our coffee farmers with a supportive and just payment as they start picking coffee in the next few months. Most importantly we must increase prices so that the Coffee Project survives and thrives in these times of higher prices, assuring that it can be there on the down cycle when the coffee farmers are again in need of our support.

Therefore, effective June, 1, 2011 12 ounce packages of Coffee will be priced at $10.00 and 4 pound packages will be priced at $45.00. Please note that I will sell the current stock at the current prices and if you wish to order before the price increase please see me after services. - Valery Jean Meyer