The folks who run Union Gospel Mission (UGM) are serving an enormous Easter dinner to residents of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) on Saturday, April 16.
The springtime feast is just one of several holiday meals they provide every year.
Meals being served from Union Gospel Mission for Easter on April 16, 2022/Courtesy of Union Gospel Mission
To make the 2,400 plates of food, staff will need 1,300 pounds of ham, 425 pounds of scalloped potatoes, 150 pounds of gravy, and 400 pies, according to a statement from UGM.
Food will be served from 601 East Hastings Street near Princess Avenue.
Rachael Allen, a spokesperson for UGM, says the meal is particularly important in the DTES after the past six years of the drug poisoning crisis in BC, which has seen record-breaking numbers of overdose-related deaths.
The sixth anniversary of the crisis being declared a public health emergency in BC was April 14.
“Not only have we seen the opioid crisis batter folks in the community … but each of those individuals had beautiful lives that were cut short and lost, and our community is still reeling from that grief — loss after loss, year after year,” she says.
Courtesy of Union Gospel Mission
Extreme weather has also made it difficult for people to keep a roof over their heads and to stay safe, dry, and healthy during events like floods and fires, says Allen.
“We also have seen inflation. I know everyone is feeling inflation these days, and it affects the cost of housing, rental, food, and essential items, and for folks in our community, we’ve been coming to the rescue daily and will be coming for this Easter meal,” she says.
The area is facing converging crises that only add to the burden homeless, transient, and impoverished people there are facing, says Allen.
“Big holiday meals are so special because it might be people’s first time connecting with us at UGM,” she says.
“It’s beautiful because they’re able to come to us and connect with our outreach team, or they’re able to be seen and heard and cared for with whatever they’re going through, to have someone to walk alongside them in their journey of the next steps they need to make.”
Courtesy of Union Gospel Mission
That can lead to “catalyzing transformation” in people’s lives, she adds.
Staff from Union Gospel Mission will be dishing food out to go through their drop-in doors for Easter dinner this year.
But hopefully, it’s the last UGM holiday meal that needs to happen outside, public health restrictions allowing.
“We can’t wait to welcome folks back inside for a sit-down meal, hopefully shortly, and have everyone together again,” she says.
“Since the pandemic, we’ve been serving meals-to-go the entire time just to protect people’s safety and be sure we’re doing what we can.”
Courtesy of Union Gospel Mission
She predicts that the next Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners will likely be inside.
Despite the intersecting crises weighing on the DTES, Allen maintains that “there is a spark of hope” every time their community comes together.
Still, she wants to see a long-term change to better support people who need housing and recovery support.
Courtesy of Union Gospel Mission
“Because of all these converging crises, we’re going to continue to see the number of people experiencing homelessness just increase, sadly, and so we know there has to be increased action on the level of investment in low-income housing,” she says.
She fondly recalls the story of Laura Harvey, a woman who overcame homelessness and addiction with help from UGM.
Laura turned to alcohol, relationships & drugs to cope with trauma, which led to her struggling with homelessness and addiction
But when she courageously came to UGM’s recovery program, her life changed
Today, she loves giving back & will volunteer at our upcoming Easter Meal pic.twitter.com/zFfpDcGje1
— Union Gospel Mission (@ugm) April 14, 2022
Harvey was on the streets before she visited Lydia Home, one of the mission’s recovery programs for women.
Two years later, she’s housed and getting ready to serve up meals at UGM’s Easter dinner.
“Now I have a beautiful home and my son thinks I’m his hero. And I love giving back,” said Harvey in a statement from UGM.
“I’m a story of hope.”
Gift packages of fruit, socks, chocolate, and other goodies will also be up for grabs at UGM on April 16, according to Allen.
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