Community Solidarity, the nonprofit behind Long Island Food Not Bombs, desperately needs a large fuel-efficient cargo van that will allow us to expand our vegetarian hunger relief program. The vehicle we need is very expensive, so we’re asking for your help in reaching our goal. Be it by donating what you can, spreading the word, or organizing a fundraiser we need your help to feed more people.
Please go to VeganFoodRescue.com to learn more about this campaign, donate funds and help us by becoming one of our fundraisers!
What is Community Solidarity?
Community Solidarity is a grassroots network of volunteers that rescues millions of pounds of vegetarian groceries. We rescue foods that, while still perfectly good, would normally be tossed out due to overstock or small blemishes. We then share these groceries with thousands of people in need across Long Island & NYC. We also share hot gourmet vegan meals, clothing, school supplies, seedling fruit & vegetable plants and other necessities.
We’re an organization that believes Food is a Right, Not a Privilege. We operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, though hurricanes Sandy and Irene, through blizzards and on the holidays. Our goal is to end hunger with compassionate and nutritious plant based foods.
Our commitment to this endeavor has made us America’s largest vegetarian hunger relief program! Last year we shared over 3,000,000 pounds of vegetarian foods with tens of thousands of people in need. This year we want to do much more, but we need your help to make that happen.
What does a normal day look like for Community Solidarity?
The following is a short film that follows Community Solidarity and our program Long Island Food Not Bombs for 24 hours.
Why is this fundraiser so important?
Our food rescue and sharing operations are sustained by thousands of volunteers who use their personal vehicles to feed communities across Long Island and NYC. This fleet of volunteers is one of our greatest strengths, allowing us to rapidly collect and share resources over the 1,424 square miles we operate in. But there are times this fleet of volunteers is massively overwhelmed and outmatched.
Throughout the week we get emergency calls for donation pickups that are thousands or sometimes tens of thousands of pounds. Plus our average window for pickups is less than 3 hours! The reality is that there are many times throughout the week when we have to leave food behind because we don’t have enough space.
Community Solidarity is organizing this fundraiser to raise $60,000 so we can purchase and operate the massive cargo vehicle we need to keep growing and help more people.
Why is your goal $60,000?
Community Solidarity operates on a shoestring budget. To make sure that our vegetarian hunger relief program remains sustainable our goal is to raise enough money to purchase this vehicle plus one year’s worth of operational and maintenance expenses.
While we could purchase a used cargo van for a relatively low price our weekly mileage requirements force us to look at vehicles that get more than 15mpg; we expect to drive between 500 to 1,000 miles a week. Older cargo vehicles have terrible fuel economy but newer models have significant improvements.
At the moment we’re looking at a few vehicles with various configurations that meet our needs. The Dodge Promaster is at the top of our list because of the set of features it offers for its price.
At the moment our break down of expenses looks to be the following:
Est. vehicle price - $35,350.00
First year of NYS commercial insurance - $3,000.00
First year’s fuel supply (Est. 25k miles at 18 mpg and $3.60 mpg) - $5,000.00
Full graphic wrap of the vehicle (to help us spread the word) - $4,000.00
A vehicle maintenance savings fund (in case of repairs) - $2,000.00
Fundraiser, processing & promotional fees - $8,937.75
Municipal fees & vehicle purchase expenses - $1,712.25
What if you surpass your goal? Where will the additional money go?
In the event that we surpass our goal ALL surplus funds will go to our vegetarian food rescue and hunger relief efforts.
How can I help spread the word?
The best way to spread the word is by sharing our donation page and promotion video online. You can also share our fundraiser flyer by printing it our (front & back) and distributing it amongst your friends, family, at your office or favorite place to eat. Help us spread the word, and help us get the funds we need.
