Do you fall victim to binge shopping? Shop. Guilt. Repeat. I know I do, but one way I’ve found to do all the shopping for things I absolutely don’t need in my house is to buy things that benefit local charities or foundations and then give them away as gifts for birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries and just because. St. Leo’s Social Justice Commission will hold the sixth annual Fair Trade Market Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 17 and 18.



The temporary market will have handmade items from more than 30 developing countries. Look for handcrafted toys for kids, ethnic jewelry, traditional musical instruments, hand-woven scarves and tapestries and fun holiday decorations.



Fair Trade is focused on drawing attention to the artists that create the beautiful items we Americans love to decorate our homes and bodies with. Little of the money spent on these items ever sees the pocket of the people that created them. The idea behind Fair Trade strives to change this and bring about a balance of commerce. Mindless binge shopping will never feel as good as this. Ninety percent of proceeds will go directly to supporting fair trade business practices in third world nations.



[Catholic Community Services, Saturday, Nov. 17 3-7 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 18 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., 1323 South Yakima, Tacoma, 253.502.2696]