Community

Since its inception, community outreach has been central to Ethical Bean’s core values, with a focus on children, education and the arts both locally and internationally. Every December a portion of the proceeds from each bag of Ethical Bean Coffee sold goes to support two non-profit organizations, Child Aid and Project Somos.

Child Aid

Child-Aid’s FUNDIT program provides children in Guatemala with the finances for school registration fees, uniforms, school supplies, shoes, and textbooks, and when needed, transportation costs and health care.

Monica Azucena, pictured left, is in her second year of studying at Rafael Landivar University, and plans to be a preschool teacher when she graduates. She received FUNDIT scholarships and is currently working as a teaching assistant at CEDIN to help pay for university. She is the first in her family to make it through high school (not to mention university). Monica’s father died when she was seven, and her mother makes a living selling tortillas and carrying firewood. Without scholarships, school would have been impossible for Monica.

Since 2003, we have raised over $54,000, providing more than 500 educational scholarships for Guatemalan grade-schoolers. FUNDIT was recently renamed the Ethical Bean Coffee Scholarship Fund.

Project Somos

Project Somos is working towards building a Children’s Village in Guatemala for the county’s increasing number of orphaned and abandoned children. The project utilizes a synergistic approach using social, psychological, educational, artistic, and vocational tools to encourage the healthy development of children.

The project also aims to be ecologically and financially sustainable. Small businesses – social enterprises – will be established and money earned will go back into supporting the village so that, long term, it will no longer be dependent on donations and grants.

As a member of Project Somos’ Board of Directors, Lloyd has recently returned from Guatemala, consulting in the on-going purchase of land for the project. We are thrilled to announce that in December, 2010, Project Somos has completed the purchase of 160 acres near the town of Tecpan and will now enter into the next phase of the project: construction of the village! Since 2008, Ethical Bean has raised over $36,000 for Project Somos.

Camp Elphinstone

YMCA Camp Elphinstone on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast offers summer camps to kids from all over the province’s Lower Mainland, providing an opportunity for activities including canoeing, archery, fishing, swimming, hiking, and rope courses.

Every year, throughout the month of June, $1 from every bag of coffee sold on the Sunshine Coast will go toward providing sponsorship for under-privileged children to attend camp. 2010 was our first year running this program and it was a great success! Take a virtual tour of the camp.

Adoptive Families Association of British Columbia

AFABC works one-on-one with families, promotes awareness of the Waiting Child Program and arranges pre-and post-adoption information sessions, workshops, and social activities.

Ethical Bean has been supporting AFABC since 2006 and has raised over $20,000 through donation from coffee sales.

Local Community Involvement

Ethical Bean Coffee’s commitment to supporting local community organizations has taken on a number of forms, focusing primarily in the arts. Through coffee donations in 2010, we have helped support and promote local organizations, assisting in raising over $30,000.

We are thrilled to sponsor The Vancouver International Children’s Festival, Theatre Under the Stars and The Vancouver International Film Festival. We also regularly respond to requests for assistance with the fundraising efforts of schools and community organizations both large and small.