Grades 1 and 2
Hazelwood School District
Hazelwood, MO
Carrie Ziolkowski

March 21, 2003

Dear M&M/Mars,

We are 1st and 2nd graders from the GALACTIC Gifted Program in Hazelwood, Missouri. We are taking a "Chocolate" class, and we are learning about things like how chocolate is made. The last two weeks, we have learned about cocoa farmers and Fair Trade chocolate.

We want your company to use the Fair Trade system for the cocoa farmers. We think you should use the Fair Trade System because the cocoa farmers don't have enough money for going to the doctor, for buying clothes, for food, and for having a good home. It's important that you remember that your chocolate comes from cocoa farmers and without them you can't make products like M&Ms.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.

Sincerely,
The 2nd Period "Chocolate" Class at GALACTIC
1st and 2nd Grades

March 21, 2003

Dear M&M/Mars,

Our class is learning about chocolate. We've just learned about Fair Trade Chocolate. We've learned Fair Trade Chocolate gives farmers more money for the cocoa they make.

We heard that you don't use Fair Trade Chocolate. We think that you should be more fair to farmers and use Fair Trade Chocolate. You should pay your farmers more so they will have more money to do things like go to the doctor, so their children can learn at school, so they can enjoy free time and go places like church, and so they have more money to buy food.

Our class thinks it is very important that you look at the Fair Trade system. Thank you for taking the time to read our letter.

Signed,
The 1st Period "Chocolate" Class at GALACTIC
1st and 2nd Grades
(A Gifted Program in Missouri)

Grade 3
Roosevelt Elementary School
Santa Monica, CA
Valerie Roach (Room 23)

December 3, 2002
Mr. Paul Michaels, President, M&M/Mars
800 High Street
Hackettown, New Jersey 07840

Dear Mr. Michaels,

Recently my twenty third grade students learned about the plight of the child slaves working in the cocoa bean fields on the Ivory Coast. This issue lends itself to teaching about corporate responsibilities, civil rights, geography, and economics.

Corporate responsibility is why the children have decided to send you the Halloween candy they collected, which was manufactured by M&M/Mars, and letters. I hope you will read their letters because they are the consumers of today and the future. Also, some of their letters have been posted on web sites, such as http://www.globalexchange.org/cocoa; http://www.oceanparkgazette.org/letters/htm; and http://www.roosevelt2.smmusd.org/roosevelt/third_pages/room23.htm.

One of my students sent a letter and a comic strip about a "blue" M & M to the editor of the Los Angeles Times. I am aware that other chocolate companies are also guilty of purchasing their cocoa beans from farms who use child slaves. However, M&M/Mars is a privately held company. This should make it easier for you to convince your Board of Directors to purchase only Fair Trade cocoa beans. Your profit margins cannot be at the expense of child slaves.

I teach my students about integrity and courage. Integrity is the ability to do the right thing even when no one is looking. Well, Mr. Michael, children ARE watching and hoping that you have the courage to do the right thing. The decision to purchase Fair Trade cocoa beans will be unpopular because it will not generate as much profit for the company. However, it is only by the grace of God that you lead a life of privilege on the East Coast and not a life of poverty on the Ivory Coast. My students and I await your reply. In the meantime, we strongly encourage you to practice some integrity and courage in the workplace.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Valerie Roach, teacher
Roosevelt Elementary School
801 Montana Avenue
Santa Monica, CA 90403

Student Letter printed in the Ocean Park Gazette!
Starting our activists early
Kids2kids: Boycott child-labor chocolate

Dear Editor,

Nov. 21 - My mom read an article that said M&M/Mars, Hershey and Nestle are buying 43% of their cocoa beans from children slaves in the Ivory Coast of Africa. These children are at the age of 9 when they become slaves. The children are beaten -- not taken care of well at all. Their water is dirty, their food is bad and they never see their parents ever again. The children have to work 12 hours per day.

M&M/Mars, Hershey and Nestle continue to buy cocoa beans picked by these child-slaves. I want them to stop, so I am hoping that you will print my letter so that other people will hear about this and stop eating chocolate from these companies.

Student, age 8
Roosevelt Elementary School

Grades 3-4
Santa Rosa Charter School
Santa Rosa, CA
Bill Singer

Paul Michaels, President M&M/Mars
6885 Elm St., McLean, VA 22101

Dear Mr. Michaels,

Many farmers work hard to make our chocolate. It's like slavery. But there is a solution to it; fair trade chocolate. I f we all bought fair trade then they wouldn't have to cut down the rain forest. Also, kids could go o school. And farmers would be able to buy clothes, food, and an education for their children.

I f we all started to buy fair trade chocolate then farmers wouldn't have to cut down the rain forests to make more money. Also it's cutting down animals' homes and most of our medicine comes from. It's also where we get our air.

Also farmers with fair trade would be able to go to the doctors, buy clothes, and buy food. If they don't have money then they can't live. We are really, really lucky not to live like that. Some farmers even think it's lucky to live like they are.

Also they make kids slaves too. They have to work on the farm all day instead of going to school and playing like we do. Their family doesn't even get paid. With fair trade chocolate they do get paid for kids.And they can live like we do.

Now you know why you should change your chocolate to fair trade. One, they won't cut down the rain forest. Two, Kids will be able to go to school and play. Three, they will be able to live without misery.

Another thing is I visited your wed sit and you did lie about "every one should have equal rights." If you won't change to fair trade then please change your web -site.

From,
4th grade student

Dear Mr. or Mrs. Boss of Mars candy,

Hi, today you're going to read about why you should use Fair Trade Chocolate. I'm going to tell you about how it would be if you were a cocoa bean farmer that's not in Fair Trade. That they cut down the Rainforest. And that lots of children can't go to school because they have to work in the cocoa fields. So I suggest that you start to read.

You probably have a big house, lots of money and are in perfect medical condition. Well the cocoa bean farmers aren't!!!!! I'm pretty sure that a cocoa bean farmer would love to be where you are. Why don't you go and trade with a cocoa bean farmer. You would always be hungry, you would get paid very little money, you would be in bad medical condition and you would probably always have to go to the bathroom. It would help if you bought Fair Trade Chocolate because the farmers could buy all these things.

I really don't like it when the cocoa bean farmers have to cut down the trees in the Rainforest and rid animals from their homes. If the cocoa bean farmers were in Fair Trade they wouldn't have to cut down the Rainforest. If they don't cut down the trees the animals will have homes and so will the trees.

Lots of children work on the cocoa bean fields instead of going to school. I bet that your children go to school and don't work in the cocoa bean fields. The children get sprayed with pesticide and are forced to work for cheap. You could change a lot of that by buying Fair Trade Chocolate. If they did go to school they could be come the world's next greatest leader!!

Now you've read what it would be like if you were a cocoa bean farmer, that they have to cut down the Rainforest and that the children have to work on the fields instead of going to school. So if you buy Fair Trade Chocolate you will be a hero!!!!

Sincerely,
4th grade student

Grade 3-4
Cultus Lake
Chilliwack, B.C.
Clay McLeod, LL.B., B.Ed.

Here is a letter to the editor of our local newspaper written by my wife's students and my students as part of our consumer-awareness information and advocacy campaign about Fair Trade chocolate:
http://www.chilliwacktimes.com/062103/opinion/062103le1.html
Fair Trade studies opening young students' eyes

Editor:

We are students from Cheam elementary and Cultus Lake elementary who have been studying Fair Trade chocolate. We are concerned that not enough people know about child labour, child slavery and Fair Trade.

Fair Trade helps prevent child slavery and child labour. The cocoa farmers on Fair Trade plantations get to bargain prices for their cocoa beans. This way they can get enough money to meet their basic needs, like enough food, clean water, clothes, proper shelter and enough health care.

Workers on non-Fair Trade plantations are often abused and are forced to work almost twelve and a half hours a day and do not even get enough money to meet their basic needs. Fair Trade is also safer for the workers, the buyers and the environment because Fair Trade products do not use pesticides on their crops. Big chocolate companies like M&M's and Mars Bar, do not use Fair Trade chocolate even though they say they do.

Many cocoa workers are children and we do think more people need to know about Fair Trade and more shops should stock Fair Trade chocolate. To find out more about Fair Trade go to www. transfair.ca and www. lasiembra.com.

Division 2 at Cheam elementary,

Division 5 at Cultus Lake elementary

Grade 7
Hampton Academy Junior High School
New Hampshire
Lisa Wenger and Linda Trofatter

8th Grade Social Studies
Southern Lehigh Middle School
James Fullerton

americancivics.org/chocolate/index.htm