Casa Vegana's Free Lunches, Almuerzos Gratuitos

Last Tuesday, January 10th, we collaborated with Cocina del Ángel (SMF Charities), delivering free vegan meals for 40 people. We began this initiative with Cocina del Ángel to impact the community of the aging population in Rio Piedras.

On this occasion, we prepared our "Sancocho Solidario" with "viandas" and vegetables, accompanied by white rice, coleslaw, and banana. In each package we distributed, we included our own literature on veganism to help spread the message and educate the community.

We sincerely thank Father Samuel Pérez, Executive Director of SFM Charities. He answered our call and opened the doors to this collaboration that we know will be fruitful and benefit the people who need it.

We're forever thankful to Terrestre Cocina Compasión for their selfless help in the kitchen to make these free meals possible. Visit them in their new brick & mortar place at: https://goo.gl/maps/iSNRjEx1yTrS6C7D6

We want to thank each one of our donors for helping us achieve our goals! Remember that we are still raising funds for these activities to buy food, materials, and other expenses that we incur to make that food reach the table of the people. With your help, we could reach our goal of $5,000. So please donate again or share this link with your loved ones; any effort is welcome!

We hope that you are enjoying the holiday season and looking forward to 2023! From us, we want to thank you again for supporting our mealshares. The next lunch is scheduled for the end of December. As soon as we set a date, we will be sure to let you know.

On December 31, will be announcing the winners of the raffle of the one-hour photography session with Francisco Álvarez and the $50.00 gift certificate to the Mercado Agrícola Natural Viejo San Juan.

We are also excited to let you know that our mealshare fundraising platform Pledge has waived all credit card fees for its fundraisers. That means that 100% of your donation goes to Casa Vegana. There are no transaction fees.  Tell your friends to make the most of year-end donations!

We have exciting news to share with our wonderful contributors!

First, we have completed two mealshares since we last updated you. We have not only fed 176 people in the past two weeks, but we have also connected with Rio Piedras residents who are dedicated to eating more plant-based meals, and are looking for the assistance and community they need to do this. Your help was essential to making this happen. We are also grateful for the meal preparation and cooking talents of Terrestre Cocina Compasión and Stephanie Berry, as well as the space provided by Necromancy Cosmética. We look forward to next week!

Second, the international hunger relief and food security organization A Well-Fed World has offered to match the funds we raise for our community meal shares, if (and when) we meet our $5,000 goal! 

A Well-Fed World has the mission of advancing plant-based foods and farming to create a sustainable, nourished, and climate-friendly future. If we match, we will have the funds to double the free lunches that we host, and to continue this project into 2023. A big thank you to A Well-Fed World!

Since you have donated, that means you understand the need people have for healthy, vegan meals. You also understand their need to connect with others, including the team at Casa Vegana, for support in starting, and in keeping, a plant-based diet. We ask that you share this with others who understand this need as well!

Together, let's reach our $5,000 goal! 

Pictured above are Ciara and Leyna from Terrestre Cocina Compasión preparing their famous vegan sushi at the Saturday morning Mercado Agrícola Natural in Viejo San Juan. Ciara and Leyna graciously volunteered to cook for our mealshare in September. They are coming back to cook for our first one in October. We are so thankful to them!

We are also very thankful to our friends at the Mercado Agrícola Natural. Thanks to their generosity, we are raffling off a $50 gift certificate to spend at the market to one lucky donor! To be entered in the raffle, all you have to do donate at least $50 through to our mealshare fundraiser through Pledge. We will draw the winner after November 1st. It is our way of saying "Thank you" to our donors, and support our local agriculturalists, cooks, and bakers. 

The VSJ market takes place on Saturdays, on Calle Norzagaray #150, Viejo San Juan, and features local produce, vegan dishes and baked goods. If you win the raffle, but can't make it to the market yourself, you can always pay the gift forward to a friend. 👉💞👈

Thank you again and remember to share! Our first mealshare is less than one week away!   

Wow! Thank you to all of you! Together we've raised over $1,000, and still have 10 days until our first meal share!

Did you know that each of you who donated $25 are automatically entered in a draw to win an hour-long photoshoot with Francisco Álvarez, a photographer and vegan activist living here in Puerto Rico! To be clear, you don't have to do anything more than you've already done, but if you know of friends or family in PR that could use a photo session, share our fundraiser with them, and help us reach $5,000! Just like you, they'll be contributing to a good cause, and have the chance to win the photoshoot. 

You can read more about Francisco's activism and photography on his Facebook site. We are so excited to be collaborating with Francisco!🎉💚

Hi from Casa Vegana,

Thank you to everyone who has donated! We have enough to give out 60 hot and healthy vegan meals! Each meal will also include literature on the benefits of a vegan diet, and will help build community around a vegan cause. 

Here are some other ways you can share the cause with your friends and family: 

• Share our Facebook post announcement,
• Share our Instagram post announcement,
• Share our website page!

And in case you missed it, here is the video summary of our first drive on September 27.

Sincerely, 

Amanda Collazo

amanda@casaveganapr.org