ACI
Registered Name: Advance Community International
Business No: 712229004RR0001
This organization is designated by Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) as a registered charity. They comply with the CRA's requirements and has been issued a charitable registration number.
Advance Community International (formerly called Advance Haiti), like most families, businesses and charities, had to go through some massive changes due to the Covid pandemic in recent times. That world wide health crisis, along with horrendous political and social dangers in Haiti, have brought some new and interesting changes to our project.
Since our last visit in December 2019, we are unable to travel to and from Haiti, and artisans that made our crafts for fundraising have been put out of business by gang warfare. It is a tense and trying time for Haiti, more so than usual. Small business ventures are still being made - one of our teammates recently opened a grocery store in his home with a start up donation from a family in Hamilton, Ontario.
July 2022 we launched our third location for Community Lunch - an exciting program that we started in 2020. Currently we are at 100+ hot lunches, with all the groceries bought from local farmers and the food cooked by local ladies now on staff. This started out as a Seniors Lunch, but they began to bring their grandchildren, skinny and malnourished, so we changed our name that same day to "Community Lunch".
$2 Canadian per plate is our budget. This covers groceries, propane for the stove tanks, cooks, utensils, and delivery to those who are unable to pick up their lunch. Each guest brings their own dish, so we save on buying disposable plates and there is close to zero garbage.
When you partner with us monthly, it helps us plan our lunch budget and I know we can grow as fast as the funds come in. We plan to be at 1000 plates per week by December 31, 2025. This practical help for the most vulernable (many of our senior guests are homeless, sleeping on the side of the road) can only be done with your generous help. Thank you.
Fundraising is done by selling crafts and jewelry made by our ACI partners in Haiti, an annual event in Edmonton, Alberta and coffee/craft nights at sponsor's homes.
Thank you for partnering with ACI and helping us help others!