Winter response initiative – Westside

December 16, 2009

Meeting Notes

Attending:
• Doug Taylor, Kits Community Centre
• Catherine Leach and Chelsea Calder,
Kits Neighbourhood House
• Spring Gillard, Westside Food Security
Collaborative / community volunteer
• Lisa Ross and Kate, Jewish Family
Services Agency
• Dellie Lidyard, community volunteer
• Martin Dutton, MPA Society
• Wendy Mendes, City of Vancouver

Purpose of Westside initiative: to build the capacity of existing programs and services to respond to
winter-related needs of vulnerable people on the Westside

Key points from the Terms of Reference of the City of Vancouver Winter response Food
Subcommittee:
 Purpose of the overall winter response is to provide overnight shelters, daytime
warming places, and new or enhanced services to homeless and vulnerable populations during
the winter months (January through April). This may include strategies to remove barriers that
prevent people from coming in from the cold (e.g. providing space for belongings, carts, and
animals).

 The food component of the Winter Response Initiative recognizes the importance
of food not only as a source of nutrition, but also a way to bring people together, reduce stress,
enable referral to services, build community and provide a sense of caring.

 At the same time the food component of the Winter Response Initiative
contributes in the longer term towards building a more robust food system with the potential to
address current year-round challenges of food production, distribution, access and waste
management not only for the benefit of homeless populations but equally for vulnerable and
isolated members of our communities.

Westside populations vulnerable re nutritious food:

• Homeless and newly homeless (we estimate around 600 on the Westside but have no good
source for number estimate)
• Seniors
• Low income
• Students
• Disabilities
• Mental health

Westside ASSETS related to shelter, food and identified populations:

1. St. Mark's Church (2nd and Larch)

 Noon full course meal every Thurs @ 12.00 (approx 70 ppl)
 Runs a shelter during cold weather alerts. Also serves a full hot meal every night
that an alert is called, plus a hot breakfast in the am when the shelter closes.
 Students attend

2. St. Mary's Kerrisdale (37th and Larch)

 Noon full course meal every Tues. @ 12.00 (approx 80 ppl)

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  Morning snacks every Tues. at 9:30 (approx 35 ppl)
 Supported by Starbucks, Cobs, Secret Garden, Point Grey Life Skills students
 They have a commercial licensed kitchen and may have some capacity for food
provision.

3. West Point Grey United Church (4595 W. 8 Ave.)

 'out of the cold' dinner, November 1 to March 31
 Community garden
 Christmas hampers
 TLC for Seniors on Thurs, program and lunch Sept-June, $8 for program and
meal

4. MPA Society (1731 West 4th):

 Daily hot breakfast and dinner for anyone with a mental health condition.
 30-120 ppl
 140 food bags/week
 Community garden
 Donations from safeway
 2 cookers
 Balanced meals according to Canada Food Guide

5. Kits Community Centre (10th and Larch)

 Showers Program for the Homeless Saturday mornings at Kitsilano Community
centre (in partnership with St. Mark’s) approx
 Has a commercial kitchen that could be used
 Fridays has a high school chefs program
 Multicultural seniors community kitchen
 Need: to use the facility, paid staff are required for supervision and cleaning

6. Kitsilano Neighbourhood House (7th and Vine)

 Tuesday $2 seniors lunch (with transportation) approx 20-30 ppl (balanced meal)
 Once/month community potluck - dinner
 Community garden
 14 passenger van
 Hall is available on Saturday and Sundays
 Capers may be able to donate food bags

7. Point Grey Community Church (7th and Collingwood)

 provides Christmas hampers to parishioner families in need

8. Westside family place (11th and MacDonald)

 In partnership with point grey community church, provides Christmas hampers to
member families in need
 Snacks (unofficial)

9. Westside church (@ 5th Avenue Cinema)

 Christmas meal

10. Steeves Manor (2nd and Wallace) – BC Housing)

 2 meals/week for residents (organized by kits neighbourhood house)
 Fruit and veggie deal for low cost wholesale produce and delivery once/month

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 11. South Granville seniors centre (12th and Hemlock)
 Daily lunch

12. Harbour Light

 Walk around outreach with food, etc.

13. St. James Square (10th and Trutch)

 May offer emergency shelter. There are still a number of logistics to be worked
out

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 14. Jewish Family Services Agency
 Tues seniors hot lunch at 8th and maple (for residents of BC Housing) – low cost,
3 course
 Seniors kosher lunch 54th and oak, volunteer drivers provide transpo
 Emergency food cupboard at broadway and maple
 Emergency grocery vouchers at broadway and maple (Jewish clients only)

15. Parkdale Manor (King Ed around Larch St)

 Twice/month seniors lunch, 8-18 ppl attend, low cost, 3 courses

16. Brock House Society (3875 Point Grey Rd.)

 Hot Lunch For adults 55+, Mon – Fri: 11:30 am – 1 pm. $6.75 for soup and
sandwich. $25 annual membership required

17. Dunbar Community Centre (30th and Dunbar)

 Men’s Lunch on Fridays, $5

18. Kerrisdale Seniors Centre (42nd and West Blvd)

 Hot lunch for seniors Mon – Sat: 11:30 am – 1 pm, $5 for members, $6 for non-
members. $3.25 for ½ sandwich/soup. $8 annual membership required.

Westside assets we know about but for now they are untapped resources:

 Park Houses (storage? cooking? warmth)

 Jericho hostel (closed in winter)
 Russian Community Centre
 St. Augustine’s (has a full commercial kitchen)
 Military base (land for gardens, space)
 Fire departments (transportation? kitchens? cooking?) – 10th and Balaclava?
 Supermarkets (cold storage)
 Business Improvement Associations (Wendy can connect)
 Pine clinic (bowl of fruit at reception?)
 Commercial kitchens

Westside NEEDS related to shelter, food and identified populations:

 Coordination of food needs and services

 Places for people to cook their own food (e.g. donated canned food)
 Linking with hard to reach populations
 Linking with newcomers
 Transportation to groceries, medical appointments, etc. (esp during Olympics)
 Grocery vouchers
 Space for snacks, warmth
 Cold storage
 If food is prepared for mon/wed/fri are there any spaces to receive it?
 Kits community centre: To offer a meal or space, require paid staff to supervise
and clean; also volunteers and food
 St Mark’s: Well-trained staff to work at the shelter

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  West Point Grey United: Snow shovelling for seniors, transpo to groceries /
grocery delivery
 JFSA and Kits Neighbourhood House: Storage, take-away foods for people with
special diets (boost, protein bars)

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Shopping list to be published in the Courier in January:

Intro: to focus on winter needs, vulnerable populations, nutritious food, warm places
Ask for: storage for donated food (also cold storage), volunteers with a class 4 license, volunteers training
in NVCI, nutritious take away food (e.g. healthy power bars, boost, smoothies), grocery vouchers, fresh
and/or frozen produce, financial contributions toward a coordinator to link all donations and services)

What the reader can do: provide drop-in spaces for people to get warm, provide a bowl of oranges and
bananas (with a sign they can download from kits house website that states the purpose of the fruit and
how others can get involved).

To-do’s:

Doug:
Talk to the kits cc kitchen about catering for outside facilities that provide warm spaces
Talk to the park board about using park houses for storage or gathering space
Check out programming options for mon/wed/fri

Martin:
Ask whether a Non-crisis violence intervention trainer could offer training to interested volunteers

Dellie:
Link with St. Augustine’s to see whether they can provide a warm gathering place

Lisa R:
Link with the Russian Community Centre to see whether they can provide a warm gathering place

Spring:
Connect with the Courier to see if they will publish our ‘shopping list’ (see below)

Wendy:
Link with the Fire Department about providing transportation and / or cooked meals/snacks
Link with the Winter Response Initiative BIA (business improvement association) sub-committee
to find out what they need/can offer on the west side
Will look into the Jericho Hostel as a potential space
Will let us know how to apply for funding from the ‘green initiative’
Will act as our group’s liaison to the City: wendy.mendes@vancouver.ca, 604-871-6031

Kate:
Will answer inquiries from the public about the ‘shopping list’

Catherine:
Will write a plan for responding to answer inquiries from the public about the ‘shopping list’
Will put our shopping list on line
Will call Capers to find out what’s happening with their grocery bag program
Will establish an emergency food bag program that is nutritionally balanced
Will contact some BIAs

Lisa M:
Will find out how we can support South Granville Seniors Centre
Will type and distribute notes from today’s meeting
Will connect with the Manager of Pine Clinic to find out what they need/can offer on the west side

Chelsea:
Will call Rocky Mountain Flat Bread to find out what they need/can offer on the west side

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 Need Existing Assets
Storage (cold and Park houses
standard) Supermarkets
Coordination of
Several organizations that
food needs and
can offer support
services
Places for people
to cook their own Jericho hostel
food
Kits Neighbourhood
House bus
VCH group shopping
programs
Transportation to VCH volunteer drivers for
groceries/medical VCH clients to access
appointments. medical appointments
Etc.(esp during Most grocery stores
Olympics) delivery
Many grocery stores
accept phone orders for
delivery
Fire departments
Grocery vouchers
Russian Community
Space for snacks, Centre?
warmth St. Augustine’s? Jericho
Military base
Places where Russian Community
food/meals can Centre?
be available on St. Augustine’s? Jericho
mon/wed/fri Military base
MPA has staff who can
Trained staff teach training in Non
Violent Crisis Intervention
Seniors Links program
Snow shovelling
pairs students with seniors
for seniors
for low cost chores
Take-away foods
for people with
special diets
(boost, protein
bars)
Kits Neighbourhood
Ensure that House is building links
newcomers know with SUCCESS and the
about available newcomer community at
resources UBC and University Hill
secondary school
Westside winter response initiative 2009
Action Notes Outcome
Doug to talk to park Urgency: HIGH
board Readiness: HIGH
Courier: ask for storage Population: ALL
Courier: Ask for monetary Urgency: HIGH
donations to hire a Readiness: HIGH
coordinator Population: ALL
Urgency: MED/ UNSURE
Wendy to find out about
Readiness: MED
the hostel
Population: HOMELESSS
Lisa M. to inform
community meal
programs about the VCH
shopping programs and Urgency: HIGH
the bus available through Readiness: MED
Kits Neighbourhood Population: SENIORS
House
Wendy will link with fire
departments about
transportation
Urgency: HIGH
Readiness: HIGH
Courier: ask for donations
Population: ALL
Lisa R. to connect with Urgency: MED
the Russian Community Readiness: MED
Centre; Dellie to connect Population: ALL
with St. Augustine’s
Lisa R. to connect with Urgency: MED
the Russian Community Readiness: MED
Centre; Dellie to connect Population: ALL
with St. Augustine’s
Urgency: HIGH
Martin will find out about Readiness: HIGH
offering a training session Population: ALLL
Lisa M. to inform Urgency: HIGH
community meal Readiness: MED
programs about the Population: SENIORS
seniors links program
Urgency: HIGH
Readiness: MED
Courier: ask for donation
Population: HOMELESS
Urgency: HIGH
Readiness: MED
Population: NEWCOMERS
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