Program Highlights:

 Meet & Greet over light refreshments: 5.00 pm-5.45 PM
Key Note Address: Dr. Sree Sreenath, President, SEWA INTERNATIONAL, USA
Special Address: MS. Margo Goldman, Executive Director, Gaithersburg HELP: HACSI’s engagement with six Montgomery County HELPS organizations

Entertainment Programs:

 Nrithyasangam, a confluence of Bharathanatyam and Kathak by Natyabhoomi & Lasya Dance Academy
dancers. Directed by Ms. Deepti Mukund & Ms. Purvi Bhatt

Geetham Sangeetham:

 Multilingual musical bash by DMV RHYTHMS, a group of talented singers and musicians from the DMV area.

Food for the Needy

HACSI and its affiliates continued their engagement with DC Central Kitchen (DCCK) as in the past. During 2019, our volunteers will cook meals on two dozen or more occasions. However, instead of 5,000 meals/day as in the past, the number of meals cooked will be about 2,500 meals/day due to changes in the contractual obligations of DCCK. By a happy coincidence, starting from January 2019, HACSI has started diversifying its feeding program into other jurisdictions and with other partners. HACSI has entered into a partnership with six “HELP” organizations in Montgomery County, which have been donating canned food to needy families for the last four to five decades. They are: BETHESDA HELPS; GAITHERSBURG HELPS; GERMANTOWN HELPS; OLNEY HELPS; ROCKVILLE HELPS; and WUMCO which covers western suburbs of Montgomery County. HACSI will create a network of volunteers to gather canned food items and deliver them to the pantries operated by these HELP organizations. This program started on a modest scale in May 2019; and in the last four months, about 500 lbs. of canned goods have been delivered to these pantries. HACSI has also received around $1,000 in lieu of canned goods which will be distributed among all the HELPS later.

HACSI has also made a modest beginning in extending its Food for the Needy program to Northern Virginia suburbs. Since January 2019, HACSI has taken over from Balavikas of Fairfax the task of serving lunch to needy persons once a month at Baileys Crossroads Community Hall. Such efforts will be strengthened in the coming months.

Financial Assistance to Needy Families in Montgomery County

In addition to providing canned food to the needy, the six HELPS organizations have been giving limited financial support to needy families for the purchase of prescription drugs, rent payment to prevent eviction, payment to prevent utility shutoff, and transportation for doctor visits, etc. In 2019, the six HELPS are expected to provide financial assistance to the extent of $200,000. HACSI has distributed $13,250 to them, taking into account number of individuals served by each organization. HACSI‘s assistance roughly covers 5 to 6 percent of each HELPS’s budget for financial assistance programs.

Helping Hindu Families in Distress

HACSI has been helping members of the Hindu community who face calamities, such as death or protracted illness of the main income earner, or domestic violence. In addition to non-monetary help, HACSI has so far provided a little over $62,000 to 14 families to tide over financial hardship. The most recent cases in the last twelve months involved a donation of $9,800 to a family whose only income earner suddenly passed away; and a donation of $2,150 towards college tuition to improve the qualifications for employment of an abandoned wife. Government agencies and community leaders have started referring cases needing assistances to HACSI. The need for such services, and so also HACSI’s need for funds to help such cases, are both increasing!

Other Activities

HACSI provides support in many other ways. For instance, it supports the Bhutanese community in Baltimore in organizing cultural programs and providing school supplies to students. It continues to organize free health fairs typically once a year, jointly with SSVT; and blood donation drives jointly with SSVT and American Red Cross. HACSI has also been providing financial support to a project in India to digitize Indology books and articles which are out-of-print. Please visit our web site: www.hacsiusa.org for a detailed description of all these projects.