We’re thrilled you want to fundraise with all of us at Community Solidarity for our #veganfoodrescue campaign. VeganFoodRescue.com is a crowdfunding page we've created to help us raise money for the vehicle we need to feed more people. You can learn more here.

If we can raise $60,000 we'll be using that money to get a massive cargo vehicle that will help us collect and share more vegetarian groceries with people in need across Long Island & NYC.

Guide to Fundraising Support

Answers to some questions from donors.

Here are six steps to get you on the right track for a successful campaign:

Community Solidarity is a grassroots nonprofit that aims to fight the social, economic and environmental oppressions that are inflicted upon our community and our planet.

Largely we do this by providing groceries, fresh produce and warm vegan meals to low-income communities. All the food we distribute is completely vegetarian and mostly organic. We collect clothing, books, toiletries and toys for redistribution as well. We organize guerrilla gardening programs that range from blanketing neighborhoods with sunflowers to providing families with peach trees.

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

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 & $3.60 pg) - $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
Total = $60,000

Our website: CommunitySolidarity.org

24 hours with Community Solidarity's hunger relief program Long Island Fodo Not Bomb

Our fundraiser video: https://vimeo.com/123873550

A video on why we need a van: https://vimeo.com/126404063