Tableya: Hot Chocolate with a Cause

Two weeks ago, I visited Askinosie Chocolate Factory on Commercial Street for their free Tableya tasting event. After hearing the story behind the product, I am just so excited to share this story with everyone. It is such a neat process.

First of all, Askinosie Chocolate Factory is a factory in Springfield, Mo., that is trying to make a difference in the chocolate industry by making direct trade relationships with the farmers and giving them a portion of the profits. Every bar has a photo and autograph of the lead farmer of that specific cacao farm. I just heart their mission!

Their newest product, Tableya, is a traditional Filipino hot chocolate drink and means “tablet.” They source cacao beans in a town called Davao, and they started noticing a malnutrition problem at a nearby elementary school, so they brainstormed a way to help.

The PTA of the elementary school creates these tablets from the cacao beans and sells them to Shawn Askinosie for $1. Shawn sells in the US for $10. The $9 profit is ALL given to Convoy of Hope, a local non-profit that focuses on feeding initiatives and disaster relief all over the world—including the Philippines, which funds the food program at the elementary school.

So the parents have a “stake in the outcome” of their child’s health, and the program is dependent on the sales of product instead of donations. There are over 500 students at this elementary school, and they are measuring the students overall health to see the success of the program.

I am just so excited for this brilliant idea that is win, win for everyone! I am pretty sure that many people in my life are going to this in their stockings this year for Christmas! Who doesn’t love yummy hot chocolate that helps give Filipino children the nutrition they need to survive?!

-Beth

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Pray for Japan

I am writing an article about Springfield's relief efforts with the recent Japan disaster.

Can I be honest with you all for a moment?

With Spring Break and school and work,

I kind of avoided the whole suffering in Japan thing.

I know, it is a terrible disaster,

but I didn't let myself come to grip with the incredible reality that so many people were suffering.

Then I talked to Jeff Nene, the PR Directer at Convoy of Hope.

I watched their video

and 

listened to horrific stories

and

was confronted with the faces of despair.

Here is what Jeff had to say:

“We’ve have never faced anything like that before in our disaster response history,” Nene said. “Japan didn’t suffer a disaster. They suffered three disasters one right on top of the other. You have the earthquake then you have the tsunami, which has caused much greater loss of life and loss of buildings and property than the earthquake did, and then you have the nuclear problem on top of that, which just hampers the response. We have people in those zones that can’t come out of their houses. We are afraid to send a team to those areas for fear of radiation exposure, so we have had to step out of our comfort zone and do things differently than we are accustomed to.”

 Japan's disasters are so great relief has been done from afar.

Jeff said that 350,000 people are still left homeless.

It is incredible to think about those in Japan,

but there is hope.

There are people everywhere pulling together for Japan's sake--

including Japan.

They are fighters.

Springfield is doing their share of relief as well.

Next Monday, Springfield's Nakato is donating all their sales they make that night to Japan.

Since Isesaki, Japan, has been Springfield's sister city for 25 years, the city is sending funds to them to help them through this tough time just like they did for us in Ice Storm 2007.

Don't ignore it like I did at first

avoiding the hurt.

Empathize with our brothers and sisters across the globe.

Pray for Japan.

Pray For Japan from Convoy of Hope on Vimeo.

If you want more information on how you can be a part of relief work in Japan, check out my Ozarks News Journal feature.

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