By Christine Sheller
Thanks to many the annual IPN Holiday Open House &
Alternative Gift Fair proved a success. Dec. 9, 2017 , around 2:00
pm people started gathering, shopping, snacking, and visiting with one
another. Approximately 25 people were in
attendance.
We had
great gift vendors, including Guatemalan handicrafts, Palestinian wood items,
Palestinian olive oil, items from AFSC, chocolate, tea, and coffee from Equal
Exchange, IPN’s peace items including some new pottery, and chances to give in
honor to organizations such as Heifer International, Global Women’s Project,
Trees for Life (Teach for Life), and Church World Service.
At 2:30 pm , Jody Mashek was introduced
to the gathering. Mashek is from AFSC and her presentation was our program on
immigration in Iowa. She presented on
immigration with facts that were interesting and astounding. Perhaps not surprising, the rate of ICE
arrests have risen in the last year. Racial
profiling is happening even in convenience stores. There was some time for questions. At the conclusion of the presentation, an
offering was taken for AFSC’s immigration program. They have a legal services program, where
Mashek is Legal Services Director.
After the
presentation, there was more time for snacks and shopping. It was said there wasn’t enough time for
shopping, so maybe next year we will look at the schedule again! I’d like to give a big thank you to all who
helped to make the Open House a success - each vendor, all shoppers and
audience members, the JOC members and friends, and our speaker. I’d also like to thank the Ivester Church of
the Brethren in rural Eldora/ Grundy Center for sharing the Equal Exchange items which were originally bought
for Ivester’s Alternative Gift Fair ( held a few weeks before the IPN Open
House). It would not be possible to hold
our Open House without the help of everyone I mentioned.
Christine Sheller is coordinator at Iowa Peace Network, and is a graduate of Bethany Theological Seminary.
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