HINDU AMERICAN COMMUNITY SERVICES Inc. (HACSI)
A Progress Report and Appeal for Funds
Dear Friends: Holiday Greetings to you and members of your family! May the New Year bring you all the best of Health, Prosperity and Good Cheer!
May I take this opportunity to bring you up-to-date regarding Hindu American Community Services Inc. (HACSI), which was incorporated in March 12, 2009. HACSI’s Mission is to facilitate Hindu Americans to provide Community, Charitable, Educational and Relief services. The IRS has approved HACSI’s application to be registered as a 501 (c) (3) charity, which means that donations to HACSI are tax deductible.
Although HACSI has been in existence for less than a year, it has made an impressive beginning in respect of its three core programs. A brief description of these core activities is given below.
A: Food for Homeless Program is HACSI’s flagship program, which was informally started by the present directors of HACSI in June 2007. This program has now gathered momentum, and with HACSI acting as the umbrella, fifteen organizations—temples, social and community associations —are preparing meals in homeless shelters in the Washington Metropolitan area. Most of the activities are carried out in the large modern facility of DC Central Kitchen, Washington DC. More than 500 volunteers including 100 youngsters participated in this program in 2009. Every day, 4,500 meals are prepared and distributed through homeless shelters in DC and nearby jurisdictions. Typically, each participating group prepares meals at the DC Kitchen once a month. On special occasions, for example in the first week of October, to commemorate the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, cooking is done by HACSI volunteers in other shelters in Montgomery County, Baltimore County, and Prince Georges County. Volunteers of SSVT have also started a program to supply canned food through community food banks in the area. Our estimate is that through these efforts, more than 120,000 meals have been served by the Hindu community since the inception of the program in June 2007; of this, close to 75,000 meals were served in 2009 alone. Starting 2010, HACSI plans to coordinate similar activities in other centers in Washington DC, and Baltimore, MD. The total funds needed for Food for Homeless Program in 2010 is estimated at $40,000.
B. Benevolent Fund is a charitable activity to help the poor/disadvantaged members of the Hindu community who face calamities like death or protracted illness etc. and the family does not have sufficient assets to cope with such situations. In 2009, HACSI volunteers, working under the leadership of another social service organization, prepared and delivered meals to members of a family which faced such a calamity. HACSI also provided a donation of $5,000 to cover emergency expenditure to a family with two disabled children whose only breadwinner suddenly passed away. HACSI would like to build up at least $100,000 in the Benevolent Fund, because need for such emergency assistance cannot be predicted in advance
C. Rehabilitation of Hindu Refugees from Bhutan: During 2009, HACSI donated $2,250 to purchase five computers to school-going children from Bhutanese families and provide driver education to five members of refugee families. HACSI also donated $600 for the transportation of the Bhutanese refugees from Baltimore to Lanham, MD for attending a free Health fair organized by SSVT. HACSI would like to extend the scope of its refugee rehabilitation services in 2010 by initiating training programs to hone the skills of those who have talents in skills like knitting, tailoring, and provide financial and marketing resources to enable them to become self-employed. Simultaneously, a few hundred new refugees are expected to be resettled in Washington-Baltimore area in 2010. The funds needed for these activities in 2010 are estimated at $20,000.
As you will readily recognize, your generous financial support is needed for us to make a meaningful contribution to our community that HACSI has been set up to serve. Kindly send your tax-deductible contributions to:
HACSI, 10710, River Road, Potomac, MD 20854.
Kindly indicate in the Memo Column if you wish to earmark your donation to one of the three programs listed above.
In addition to your financial support, we need your voluntary services, because HACSI‘s services can only be delivered through the dedicated efforts of its volunteers. We are in the process of forming several volunteer committees to organize volunteer efforts. Please contact HACSI by sending an e-mail to hacs...@gmail.com.
Many thanks and regards
K.G.Venktatraman (Ramani)
On Behalf of HACSI