For the past few years, the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House (DTES NH) has been intermittently providing nourishing meals to residents of CRAB Park, as well as Oppenheimer Park and several other spots throughout Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
Due to budget cuts in the last fiscal year, DTES NH no longer has the funding for regular staffing on weekends. The current staff team is working at capacity and hours could not be adjusted to resume the CRAB Park program as it was. There are staff who coordinate for CRAB Park and are on call in case of emergencies, but at the moment, all on-the-ground work is led by volunteers.
The team started running the program again about a month ago entirely through volunteer efforts. Hana, Manager of Operations and Community Programs at DTES NH, says the volunteer team is working well and people are committed with good availability.
The program is currently distributing an ample amount of food — mainly produce and grain surplus. Volunteers serve about 20 meals to CRAB Park residents, while another 30 are distributed to other spots around the DTES, like Oppenheimer Park and the East Hastings strip.
So far there has been “really positive feedback from residents,” Hana says, with “good rapport between people new to the program and [those] running it.” Meals have included salads, watermelon juice, and pasta dishes. The team is still looking to incorporate more protein into their meals.
The DTES NH office is located at 573 E Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6A 3C6 and is currently accepting donations, especially protein-rich foods, during program hours on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays from 10am–3pm; and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11am–6pm.
When dropping off a donation, please call (604) 215-2030 or knock loudly on the window.
Some tips to keep in mind if you plan on donating food:
- Accepting fresh produce and non-perishables
- Ready-made meals from the grocery store
- Due to food safe regulations, meals cannot be cooked in a home kitchen
While the food distribution team is still planning to continue the program year round, it may slow down due to volunteer availability.