Larry's Beans and Methodist Church Team Up to Help Youth

Jan. 19, 2010 - PRLog -- Raleigh coffee roaster Larry’s Beans and the NC United Methodist Church have teamed up to send needy children to camp by providing churches, parishioners and camps with great tasting Fair Trade Organic coffee.  Under this program, the conference's three camps and participating United Methodist churches will be serving Larry's Beans coffee.  Ten percent of all church coffee purchases will go to send deserving kids to camp.  

The Methodist church camps promote children’s leadership and confidence building.   Funds from the coffee program allow kids who otherwise couldn’t go to camp to participate.   In addition, this program aims to increase awareness of social justice issues.  

“This is a win-win program for churches, kids and for Larry’s Beans,” said Larry Larson, founder and CEO of Larry’s Beans.  “Larry’s Beans coffee is 100 percent Fair Trade and is a mission-driven company whose commitment to Fair Trade and sustainability is a natural fit for church groups.”

Eventually, Larry’s Beans envisions the program going national, and perhaps global.

To promote this partnership, Larry’s Beans set up a Faith-based web link on its website to help support the program.  Customers who order coffee through that link will have their purchase tracked to support the program. The link can be found at https://www.larrysbeans.com/faith-based-programs/#methodists.

“We were impressed with the philosophy and mission of Larry’s Beans, and that made the decision to pursue this program extremely easy,” said Bobby Harris, executive director of the NC United Methodist Camp & Retreat Missions.  “This is a chance to assist the church in understanding social justice issues, and bring it about everyday with a product everyone enjoys.”

Larry’s Beans coffee will be served in Chestnut Ridge, Don Lee and Rockfish.  Harris sees a day when the program could lead to an exchange of youth campers and counselors between North Carolina and the coffee-growing regions around the world.  Cultural exchange like this helps raise awareness of social issues, like access to education and economic equality, which can inspire meaningful business partnerships.  Larry says, “People feel good when their purchases support their values. That’s how social change happens.”

Media Contact:

Graham Wilson
PRStreet
(919) 467-5567
gwilson@prstreet.com

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About Larry’s Beans

Since 1994 the mission of Larry’s Beans has been to find the best coffees in the world and roast them with precision and artistry. The company is a founding member of Cooperative Coffees, the first and only group of independent coffee roasters that buys green beans directly from Fair Trade coffee co-ops.
Larry’s Beans builds Fair Trade relationships with small farm cooperatives, buys only Organic, Shade Grown coffees and supports farming partners in practicing sustainable farming methods. Larry’s Beans cultivates relationships that benefit people, animals, and the environment. In 2006, Larry’s Beans was the recipient of the NC Sustainability for triple-bottom line business. For more information, please visit www.larrysbeans.com .