Scott Elliott is fundraising
Help ICAN replace stolen coffee cart & trailer!
On December 20th we arrived to our office to find the lock for our coffee cart and trailer cut and an empty parking lot. Our trailer, custom coffee cart, battery system, and supplies worth well over $20,000 had been stolen. We started Hermosa Coffee Co. in 2017 as a way to employ the many clients we serve through ICAN California Abilities Network. We started ICAN because we saw a need to help individuals with disabilities find jobs and be accepted in the local community. The unemployment rate for individuals with disabilities in California is 82% and only 3% of those employed are making minimum wage or higher.
What started out as a 501c3 nonprofit employment agency for persons with disabilities turned into something much bigger when we realized that we needed to boost our clients’ resumes. We wanted to create ways for them to gain real work experience, pass health certifications, and gain confidence. We purchased and customized a mobile coffee cart, the appropriate cold brew and kombucha kegorators, espresso machines, and a trailer and started the Hermosa Coffee Co. We’ve worked incredibly hard growing this small business so that we can offer work opportunities to as many of our clients as possible. ICAN employs 30 clients through this one coffee services program and have had numerous clients get hired because of their work experience with us.
We currently serve cold brew, kombucha, coffee, espresso, and lattes at a couple of locations every week and have private events multiple times a month. Unfortunately, without a customized health department certified coffee cart and a trailer to transport it; we are going to have to cancel these events, and consequently, cancel shifts for our clients. In order to replace the coffee cart, trailer, battery system, and supplies we lost, we need to raise at $40,000+ to replace the basics of what we lost. We can do so much more and have multiple locations: Torrance, Redondo, El Segundo, & Long Beach. If we raise more than our initial goal we will ensure 100% of donations go to investing directly into assets to employ and empower our clients. ZERO dollars will go toward overhead or admin.
This honestly could not have come at a worse time for our organization. Besides it being days away from Christmas, we are currently in the process of an extensive renovation on a permanent facility in Torrance, CA and just last week signed a lease on a second program facility in Long Beach, CA. This year our donors stepped up and helped us raise a significant amount for our Torrance facility, but all of that has already been spent on architecture, permits, and construction. To be completely honest with you, we do not have the cash to be able to replace our equipment right now. Some of you may ask about insurance… while we do have an insurance policy on the trailer and the cart, the reality is that our cart was super customized and is irreplaceable and while we expect to receive some help from the insurance company, it won’t be enough to completely fabricate and get health department certifications of a new custom cart from scratch.
We ask you, the local community, to help us in this time of need. Use your voice and share on your social media platforms and help us rebuild what was stolen. We’re hoping for a Christmas miracle for our clients!
www.ican.org
501c3 NonProfit # 45-5441802
facebook.com/californiaabilitiesnetwork
instagram.com/icanla
What started out as a 501c3 nonprofit employment agency for persons with disabilities turned into something much bigger when we realized that we needed to boost our clients’ resumes. We wanted to create ways for them to gain real work experience, pass health certifications, and gain confidence. We purchased and customized a mobile coffee cart, the appropriate cold brew and kombucha kegorators, espresso machines, and a trailer and started the Hermosa Coffee Co. We’ve worked incredibly hard growing this small business so that we can offer work opportunities to as many of our clients as possible. ICAN employs 30 clients through this one coffee services program and have had numerous clients get hired because of their work experience with us.
We currently serve cold brew, kombucha, coffee, espresso, and lattes at a couple of locations every week and have private events multiple times a month. Unfortunately, without a customized health department certified coffee cart and a trailer to transport it; we are going to have to cancel these events, and consequently, cancel shifts for our clients. In order to replace the coffee cart, trailer, battery system, and supplies we lost, we need to raise at $40,000+ to replace the basics of what we lost. We can do so much more and have multiple locations: Torrance, Redondo, El Segundo, & Long Beach. If we raise more than our initial goal we will ensure 100% of donations go to investing directly into assets to employ and empower our clients. ZERO dollars will go toward overhead or admin.
This honestly could not have come at a worse time for our organization. Besides it being days away from Christmas, we are currently in the process of an extensive renovation on a permanent facility in Torrance, CA and just last week signed a lease on a second program facility in Long Beach, CA. This year our donors stepped up and helped us raise a significant amount for our Torrance facility, but all of that has already been spent on architecture, permits, and construction. To be completely honest with you, we do not have the cash to be able to replace our equipment right now. Some of you may ask about insurance… while we do have an insurance policy on the trailer and the cart, the reality is that our cart was super customized and is irreplaceable and while we expect to receive some help from the insurance company, it won’t be enough to completely fabricate and get health department certifications of a new custom cart from scratch.
We ask you, the local community, to help us in this time of need. Use your voice and share on your social media platforms and help us rebuild what was stolen. We’re hoping for a Christmas miracle for our clients!
www.ican.org
501c3 NonProfit # 45-5441802
facebook.com/californiaabilitiesnetwork
instagram.com/icanla
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