Some volunteers work only to fulfill their community service assignment. Others have a deep passion for non-profit work dedicated to a great cause.

“It is rewarding to go home at night and know that I did good and helped in some small way,” said Tina Thill, store manager at Worldly Goods, 223 Main St.

World Fair Trade Day is an opportunity for people big and small to step to the plate in efforts to help others as volunteers do every day. Saturday, supporters and ordinary citizens of different communities across the world will have the chance to learn about what fair trade is, how it works and why it matters through various celebrations.

Essentially, fair trade is a mission to support farmers and artisans globally, especially those living in third-world countries, by guaranteeing healthcare benefits, education for children, a supply of food and clean water, safe work and much more, Thill said.

According to the Fair Trade Resource Network Web site, over one million small-scale producers and farmers, mainly from the central part of the southern hemisphere, work to make artistic products and food. These products range from beaded jewelry to hide drums, coffee beans and nuts to spices. Items are then shipped across the world to different fair trade shops and supermarkets located primarily in the United States, Canada and Europe.

Thill said small, independent businesses, such as Worldly Goods, prepare the items for sale and continue to teach the community about fair trade and the people involved in it. The proceeds then go back to the artists and their home countries. As time has progressed, this program has been increasingly successful.

Locally, Worldly Goods, Caf‚ Diem, 229 Main St. and Wheatsfield Cooperative, 413 Douglas Ave., are teaming up to host events for World Fair Trade Day. Activities at Worldly Goods include food sampling and a drawing for free prizes starting at 10 a.m. and lasting until 5 p.m., as well as story time for children starting at 1 p.m. Story time for children will be available in many small shops worldwide because World Fair Trade Day this year looks to really focus on children. Caf‚ Diem will have a “facts and find” as well as signature fair trade coffee sold throughout the day.

According to the Fair Trade Resource Network Web site, last year in the United States alone, over 81 communities were involved in celebrating World Fair Trade Day by hosting concerts, photo exhibitions, food sampling, house parties, craft sales and more, nearly double the activities hosted the previous year. The amount of activity is also on the rise in Europe and Canada each year.

Malkia Jones, a worker at Ten Thousand Villages store in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, said this year the International Fair Trade Association hopes to reach more people through activities hosted. They especially hope to inspire youth. By hosting story times, trivia, games, small arts, crafts projects and other activities, children have the opportunity to learn in a fun way about other children across the world.

Jones said children need to be aware of worldly issues.

“We are constantly trying to educate our youth about fair trade,” she said.

Nataliya Deduchenko, junior in biology, plans to attend the Fair Trade Day Rug Celebration at Fair World Gallery in West Des Moines.

“I like to go to events like these because they are a cultural experience, and you can find unique gifts,” she said.