Coffee House Social Service Association is not only a non-government, voluntary organization, it is much more than that. How? Why? Well, to know that you will need to know how our journey started.

Coffee House Social Service Association is not only a non-government, voluntary organization, it is much more than that. How? Why? Well, to know that you will need to know how our journey started.

It all started on a winter afternoon in the year 2000 at Indian Coffee House, College Street. Few young boys, regular at the place, started thinking about social development while sipping coffee and discussing current affairs, sports, culture and much more. These young guns pledged to create a voluntary organization with Indian Coffee House in focus, whose main aim would be blood donation.

These young men with other regular consumers of Indian Coffee House created ‘Coffee House Voluntary Blood Donors Association’. Initially, the association’s office address was College Street Indian Coffee House, 15, Bankim Chatterjee Street, Kolkata – 700073. The association was founded on 1st December 2000. It was on that very evening when the decision was taken of hosting a blood donation camp in the ‘balcony section’ of the Indian Coffee House on 9th January, Tuesday. Preparations for the blood donation camp started instantly. Volunteers of the association went from one table to another at the Indian Coffee House and motivated people by explaining the value and importance of blood donation.

With innumerable hiccups initially, the first blood donation camp of our association was organized on 09th January 2001 with help and cooperation from the Information and Culture Department. The camp was from 10.00 am to 04.00 pm and 90 voluntary blood donors donated their blood in the very first year. Priyanka Maitra was our first blood donor.

This success motivated the association’s progress slowly but steadily. A unanimous decision was taken that henceforth every year 9th January will be celebrated as Coffee House Lover’s Day, which will be observed through a blood donation camp. From 90, our blood donors count has increased to 665 over the last 26 years.

By mid-2001, along with blood donation, the association focussed on other social works including education for street children. As the association undertook various social works and did not focus just on blood donation, there was a need to reform the name. As per West Bengal Government’s Society Registration Act, the name changed to ‘Coffee House Social Service Association’ on 24th June 2002.

With passing time, the association had more social responsibilities right from arranging blood donation camps to blood donor motivation, running awareness stalls, exhibitions, street shows, bike rallies, state-level certificate courses, and so on. The association also arranged various workshops on HIV AIDS and thalassemia at different state levels. Campaigning and awareness programs were conducted through leaflets, posters, banners and various IEC materials.

These attempts did not fail and the association’s plan, mission and vision crossed Kolkata and reached to the villages and other remote areas of West Bengal. The association stuck to its ‘NO GIFTS’ principle in any blood donation camp.

To combat blood crisis during the sweltering summer months, the association pledged to take a leap. Another annual blood donation camp was planned which started from 2005 at College Square (Vidyasagar Udyan), spanning 3 days – 13th, 14th and 15th June of every year, observing World Blood Donors Day. However, since 2020 (during the pandemic times), this blood donation camp has been shifted to the famous Brigade Parade Ground and later at Shahid Minar, where the camp is organized every year on 14th June.

Coffee House Social Service Association extends its help and cooperation to people in need in case of natural calamities and disasters.

• Volunteers from the association reached to remote areas in West Bengal for distributing foods and other essentials to distressed people after Amphan and Yaas cyclones.
• Volunteers carried aid to flood-inflicted areas in West Bengal’s Ghatal innumerable times.
• Every year, before Durga Puja, to share the happiness with everyone, the association takes initiatives to distribute new clothes, toys, gifts, food items and other necessary things to people in various downtrodden areas in West Bengal.
• During COVID-19 pandemic, the association organized and ran an oxygen parlour for 3 months at a stretch.
• To commemorate the birthday of Mother Teresa, the association arranges ‘Ilish Utsab for Street Children’ since 2023 at College Square. We have been running this event successfully for 3 years now.

Coffee House Social Service Association is registered under the West Bengal Society Registration Act of 1961. The association has been an integral part of Organized Voluntary Blood Donation Movement in Bengal. From 2013 to 2020, the association had been a governing body member of State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC), Government of West Bengal.

Blood Donors (10/25/50 times) and blood donor organisations are honoured every year on the Coffee House Lover’s Day; January 9th.