CHANGE A LIFE
When COVID hit, there was a lot of fear, there was a lot of isolation. People lost their jobs; people lost their food security, and people lost their ability to connect with each other. For a community to be great, it needs to be great for everyone, so we worked quickly to pivot, develop and adapt our programs. During the
Thanksgiving may be over, but it’s no time to stop giving thanks – or giving back – to your neighbours. Your community needs your local love now more than ever. During the time of COVID, food security remains the number one issue facing our community and it is one way we are giving back to those in need. Over
As we pass Thanksgiving, United Way Local Love Food Hubs have served 1.2 million meals. That’s because more British Columbians than ever are struggling to keep food in their cupboards due to COVID-19 and the economic fallout from the crisis. About 15% of British Columbians are now food insecure. For families with children, it’s even higher at about 19%. “It has been a difficult situation,” says Marta, a South Vancouver resident, who lives with
Community food programs continue to face tremendous pressure as a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency. To help address the shortage of both funds and volunteers, FortisBC stepped up: they provided funding to the hardest hit food programs across B.C. and their Street Team staff were reassigned to assist with food distribution in the Lower Mainland. The FortisBC Street Team delivers The eight-person Street Team spends two to three days a week sorting and delivering food
On a recent July Saturday Evena visited a Guildford school parking lot, one of four designated Local Love Food Hubs especially for children and families attending inner city schools in Surrey. She was there to pick up much-needed supports from volunteers at the City Dream Centre – a grocery hamper filled with bread, fresh produce,
How does a group of Canadian newcomers shift from reading about food waste to feeding 2,500 neighbours each month? It takes five years of dedication, 365 days a year and includes 15 distribution sites, 8 participating grocery stores and 75 volunteers, including 35 drivers – from over 15 countries – to serve over 30 different families daily. The Immigrant Link Centre Society is the
Food is a powerful community-builder. It brings people together, bridging cultural and generational divides. It shapes our understanding of the world. “Food is about dignity,” says Kevin Huang, co-founder of the Hua Foundation, a youth-driven non-profit organization based in Vancouver’s Chinatown. “Food keeps us alive. It connects us socially and culturally to our families and
Every year across Metro Vancouver, residents throw out more than 100,000 tonnes of food. To put that in perspective, each day residents across our communities send more than 15,000 heads of lettuce, 40,000 tomatoes, 80,000 potatoes, 32,000 loaves of bread, and 70,000 cups of milk to the landfill. Sustainability advocate and SFU lecturer Alia Sunderji