Home Ground: Great coffee for a great cause!

CCH's Home Ground is now in its 8th year of selling Fair Trade coffee at community events and Chicago Farmers Markets. In spring and summer 2008, homeless leaders will run weekly sales at two downtown farmers markets, Daley Plaza and Federal Plaza. We also ship orders to offices and individual clients.

Click HERE to order Home Ground coffee today!

About Home Ground
Formerly homeless men and women staff and help manage Home Ground, a Fair Trade coffee project begun in 2001 by CCH’s late executive director, John “Juancho” Donahue. The project offers marketable job experience and a fair, part-time wage to homeless and formerly homeless adults active with CCH.

Homeless leaders sell coffee that’s brewed and bagged – hot cups of coffee as well as bags of whole-bean and ground coffee beans. Several shops, coffeehouses and community groups also sell our brand in Chicago and Evanston. New venues are always welcome!

Home Ground is socially responsible at every level. It supports environmental sustainability, guarantees a fair wage to small growers abroad and helps homeless people earn a fair hourly wage.

Just Coffee is our supplier. CCH partners with this Wisconsin-based distributor because it is committed to purchasing quality coffee at Fair Trade prices from democratically-run cooperatives. Shade-grown, organic coffees are air-roasted by Just Coffee in micro-batches of 10 pounds or less.

Click HERE to buy directly from CCH

Our caffeinated blends sell for $12 per pound: We offer a dark roast from Nicaragua, a medium roast from Guatemala, and a light roast from Eithiopia.

Our decaffeinated coffee, a Peruvian-Mexican blend, sells for $14 per pound.

All coffee is available either whole bean or ground.

The most reliable way to secure a supply of delicious Home Ground coffee is to become a monthly subscriber – have a couple pounds or more delivered to your home or office. Every 15th pound is free!

We require minimum orders of 2 pounds. Shipping rates are $5 for 2 pounds, $1 more for each additional pound ordered. Large orders can be delivered to some Chicago-area offices.

Fax orders to (312) 435-0198 or mail orders to Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, 1325 South Wabash Ave., #205,  Chicago, Illinois 60605-2507

Or better yet, call Jose to place your order!

Jose Vasquez coordinates Home Ground. Active at CCH since 2004, Jose is a Vietnam War veteran who worked more than 30 years as a day laborer and maintenance man. Before CCH, he lived four years on Lower Wacker Drive. On weekdays, Jose got up at 4 a.m. to sell the Chicago Sun-Times at the corner of Madison & Dearborn. He was paid a dime a copy.

In 2003, with placement help from Chicago’s Fourth Presbyterian Church, Jose found a home in the South Loop Apartments run by Mercy Housing Lakefront. In his job at CCH, Jose manages orders and schedules the part-time coffee staff. Jose is the person to call with your questions, to place an order, or to make a change in your monthly coffee subscription.

Staffing the coffee project this year are Nina and Jackie, who work at the Farmers Markets, and Kit, who grinds and bags the coffee beans.

Jose can be reached by phoning CCH at (312) 435-4548, ext. 233, or email him at josecoffee2006@yahoo.com

 Home Ground is also available from the following Chicago area shops:
•    after-words bookstore, 23 E. Illinois St., Chicago
•    Art Effect, 934 W. Armitage, Chicago
•    The Celtic Knot, 626 Church Street, Evanston
•    Gourmet Foods, Michigan Avenue & Lake Street, Chicago
•    True Nature Food, 6034 N. Broadway, Chicago