Giving (Heartfelt) Thanks

As we near the end of the calendar year, and in this season of Thanksgiving, we are mindful of all the individuals and companies who have made the work of this past year possible. Of course we are most grateful to our 250 financial supporters, but there are many others who have supported our work non-monetarily to whom we also want to send out our heartfelt thanks. In no special order, they include:

We thank all our current co-op partners for their commitment, efforts and graciousness, including:

• CESMACH, Fina Triunfo Verde, Ramal Santa Cruz and La Comon Yaj Nop Tic, Chiapas, Mexico
• SOPPEXCCA, Jinotega, Nicaragua
• CECOCAFEN, Matagalpa, Nicaragua
• PRODECOOP, UCPCO, CORCASAN and UCA San Juan, Madriz, Nicaragua
• Kanyovu Cooperatives, Kigoma, Tanzania
• Kilicafe, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Our work is their work and together we are seeing an impact that is sustainable and beneficial for women who grow coffee and their families.

Thanks to our most recent collaborative partners, ICAP (International Committee on AIDS Prevention) and EGPAF (Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation) in Tanzania for their support and collaboration which has allowed us to roll-out a program with much greater geographic impact than our resources alone would have made possible. In Tanzania ICAP had the sense to support the new trainees in developing and utilizing their skills.

Thanks to our stalwart Field Interns, Amanda Eastwood and Rachel Ballester, whose outstanding labors have contributed greatly to a successful year, as well as to our Office Interns,  Meghan Costello, Anne Bayerle, Julia Wejchert and Lily Wies, all of whom donated their time and talents to advance this work.

Thanks to the Boston University School of Public Health for incorporating placements in our program into their curriculum for Master Candidates.

Thanks to all our Coffee Auction Donors who donated almost 27,000 pounds of green coffee, setting us up for our most successful on-line auction ever.

Thanks to our coffee friends who welcome us in-country when we travel for campaigns, provide us with transportation, meals, conversation and who generally make us feel at home when away from home. This year that included ECOM, Zephyr, Sustainable Harvest, and Café Africa.

Additional thanks to our friends at ECOM who not only gave us a generous grant but also paid the attendance of our intern, Amanda Eastwood so she could attend RAMACAFE (and thanks to Henry and Gabriela for the discounted attendance rate and to supporters Café Imports and Strategic Coffee Concepts who squired Amanda around the event.)

Thanks to the coffee trade magazines Fresh Cup, Coffee Talk, Barista, and Roast who provided us with free ad space.

Thanks to Barry Chouinard and Custom Colors for providing us with our first-ever Grounds for Health polo shirts, which are much appreciated and even coveted by our traveling and in-country staff. Oh and of course the car wash T-shirts …

Speaking of the car wash, thanks to all the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Volunteers, Ben & Jerry’s for the free scoops, Gigi’s Cleaning for the detailing, and The Growlers for the great music.

Thanks to NCA (the National Coffee Association) and CoffeeFest for providing us with free booth space at their trade shows as well as to Buffalo Blends, Faracafe and Scolari Engineering/Texpak who sponsored our SCAA events.

Thanks to all the coffee shops that have done promotions to benefit Grounds for Health. Whether large or small, these efforts matter and buoy us up on the sea of public awareness.

Finally, thanks to all the hard-working Grounds for Health board members, who bring us immeasurable guidance and support.

To all of you, we wish the best in this season of Thanksgiving.