Jewelry, food, mirrors and other original pieces of art were among the fair trade items sold at Saturday’s Fair Trade Fair at University Lutheran Church near the Tempe campus.

The fair gave students a way to buy items that help people around the world as opposed to buying from a department store, said Beth Wootten, the church treasurer.

“It’s a good thing to be a part of,” Wootten said.

The fair trade items sold in the fair are from artisans around the world, Wootten said.

When items are sold in the fair, the full profit from the items goes to the artisans, not to any middleman, she said.

“It’s about global economy, in a sense,” Wootten said “We need to be able to be the world leader in getting people food and water.”

Not only are the profits going to a good cause, but the items are all unique so many students are using them for holiday gifts, she said.

“You know [the items are] handmade and are of quality,” Wootten said.

It’s a good thing to be able to know that you’re giving back to the community, she said.

The Fair Trade Fair opened Nov. 1 and will be closing on Dec. 1, she said.

Gary N. McCluskey, the community pastor, said the Fair Trade Fair is a good cause.

“We receive nothing financially out of this,” he said.

The church pays for the shipping of the items to the fair as well as getting the money back to the artisians, McCluskey said.

“It’s a way of enhancing the art world,” he said.

The items at the fair range from chocolate, honey and Brazilian nut oil to mirrors, jewelry and other trinkets, McCluskey said.

They come from all over the world from places such as Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Bangladesh and Brazil to name a few, he said.

The Fair Trade Fair has also helped to expand the church’s ministry because now the Lutheran Church has developed sister congregations around the world, McCluskey said.

“We have alum all over the world, too,” he said.

Many of the people from his congregation have traveled to other countries to volunteer and work with the people in that area, McCluskey said.

Tempe resident Amy Heisler, 33, said she is a big believer in purchasing fair trade items.

“I like to make sure that my money is making it back to the people who made the items,” she said.

Heisler said she also frequently goes to Bunna Coffee Tea and Market, which sells many fair trade items including fair trade coffee, she said.

The importance of economic empowerment for the artisans is extremely influential to their livelihood, Heisler said.

“Other than it being a great cause, you get really cool stuff that nobody else has,” she said.

Reach the reporter at paige.soucie@asu.edu.