service and sharing

We value anchoring our spiritual practice in expressions of service and sharing. This tending of the village commons is crucial in waking up in the reality that we are all connected to others and to all things, and that our care matters.

Typically each year we choose a local recipient or community for our Community Service Project support. If you’re not active in training at the moment but would like to contribute to these projects, contact Jan.

2022-23 PRACTICE YEAR SERVICE PROJECTS

vancouver second mile society

We prepared 100 gift bags in November and December for local low-income seniors, which will be distributed by the Vancouver Second Mile Society, an organization whose mission it is to enhance the lives of the seniors living in Vancouver’s urban core.
http://vsms.ca/test/our-mission

These gift bags were delivered early in December and contained a variety of both useful personal items such as a fleece blanket, Ikea carry bag, socks, dental care items and hand cream, as well as some niceties and gifts such as a small string of LED lights, a pocket-sized plush animal, a simple and beautiful crafting item, pens & pencils, tea bags, hot chocolate and other sweet treats.

DONATION TO World Central Kitchen

In December we donated $200 to World Central Kitchen, an organization providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises around the World. Until Dec 31, 2022, all donations to WCK were being matched 1x1 by Trip Advisor.

 

2021-22 PRACTICE YEAR SERVICE PROJECTS

DONATION TO World Central Kitchen: ChEFS FOR UKRAINE

In March we donated $150 to World Central Kitchen, an organization providing relief work in the Ukraine by serving thousands of meals to those fleeing the Ukraine, and to those remaining in the country as well.

GRATITUDE FOR OUR HEALTH CARE WORKERS

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.  Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.”   ~ Albert Schweitzer.

The candle is for us a symbol of the light that hospital workers give always, but especially during such extraordinary times. 

To express our deep gratitude to all the health care workers and hospital staff who have given so much during this challenging time of the pandemic, on Dec 3, 2021 we gave out 252 gift bags at St.Paul’s Hospital, each containing a beeswax votive candle, some chocolates, and a card with our message of thanks. This project was a creation of the community and expresses our heartfelt gratitude.

 

CHRISTMAS CARDS FOR CHRISTMAS FOOD HAMPERS

For the holiday season in 2021, we joined with the Mount Pleasant Neighborhood House for their Christmas Hamper program. We hand coloured 86 Christmas cards that were given out with the hampers to home-bound seniors in the community.

COMMUNITY CLEAN UP

Part of our ongoing service to the community during the Covid pandemic has continued to be community clean up, in part in collaboration with the City of Vancouver’s Neighbourhood Clean-up program. This fall we did garbage pick-up in several communities in Vancouver and the lower mainland,  working together in small groups.

 
 
 

DONATION TO THE RED CROSS FLOOD RELIEF IN THE FRASER VALLEY

In response to the devastating flooding of November 2021, we donated $250 to the Red Cross, which is offering support to those directly affected. At the time of donation, funds were being matched by the BC Provincial Government 3:1.

 
 

2020-21 PRACTICE YEAR SERVICE PROJECTS

COMMUNITY CLEAN UP

In 2020-21 we committed to having small groups do ongoing community garbage clean up throughout the year. For those in Vancouver, this was done in collaboration with the City of Vancouver’s Neighbourhood Clean-up program. We also had groups doing clean up in White Rock, North Vancouver, and Kamloops. We involved our children in this project as well, and over the year we collected many many bags of garbage from our streets.

 
 
 

SCARVES and HATS

We knitted, crocheted, and purchased warm scarves and hats to be give to those in need.

 
 

2019-20 PRACTICE YEAR SERVICE PROJECTs

FOOD SERVICE and OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS

In 2019, we continued offering food service in the Downtown East Side and other areas of need, including homemade muffins, hot coffee, hot chili with buns, oranges and juice boxes. In the winter of 2020, the direct food service in the DTES was put on hold because of Covid, so instead we chose to donate directly to several organizations.

Also, one of our practitioners currently living in Brooklyn, NY sewed and donated 16 surgical face masks, joining a group of 100+ neighbours who collectively made and donated 1,000 masks to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center. An article about this was published in the Brooklyn Eagle Daily on April 2nd, 2020.

 
 
 

Community Clean Up for Charity FUNDRAISER

During February and March 2020 and in collaboration with the City of Vancouver’s Neighbourhood Clean-up program, our Core Training practitioners gathered donations for our work cleaning up Vancouver neighbourhoods. We committed to 40 group hours of garbage pickup in 4 different city areas, and raised $6320!

All donations went directly to support “Thresholds” – a special endeavour of Aunt Leah’s Place, a GVRD charity that provides services for foster children transitioning out of care. To learn more about Aunt Leah’s, please go here: https://auntleahs.org. Although our fundraiser has ended, if you’d like to support young mothers and their babies you can still donate online at https://auntleahs.org/donate-today/   

2018-19 PRACTICE YEAR SERVICE PROJECTs

Throughout this year, we offered homemade meals to people in the Downtown East Side. Between September and June we gave out a total of 1792 individual meals in the DTES. This included 230 bowls of hot chilli, 1059 sandwiches & 503 burritos/wraps, as well as over 2000 drinks, 800 cookies, 325 muffins or banana bread slices, and 230 slices of buttered or garlic bread.

We decorated sandwich bags for the food to offer a more direct and personal hello for those receiving the meal. This was done by both the adults in our practice and some of the children in our community. 

At this event, we also decorated 120 Christmas cookies that we handed out to people on the street in early December.

To fund this food service project, we raised $1300 by hosting a Christmas sale of handmade goods in early December at our annual Christmas event.

As in previous years, a group of us knitted and crocheted scarves and hats, and we gave them out in the cold months to people living on the streets.

 

2017-18 PRACTICE YEAR SERVICE PROJECTs

 

June, 2018  – Food Service in the Downtown East Side

In the spring we served homemade food to people in the DTES – hot chili with fresh buns, egg bites, sandwiches and baked goods.

 

Helping GF Strong Help Us All!

In October 2017 we started our fundraising efforts, intending to raise $35,000 over 19 months. And by the end of April we had raised over $50,000 in less than 1/3 the time! Thank you for your kind support of GF Strong during our campaign.

With your help, we raised the funds for important equipment on the wishlist of GFS and VGH/UBC Foundation. With our fundraising they were able to purchase a $20,000 Pressure-Mapping System. As well our funds of $26,000 raised for a Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) machine were matched, and this allowed for the purchase of this equipment.

Our fundraising efforts came in many forms, including selling hand-made goods, hosting events, such as a gourmet wine-paired dinner at the Washington Avenue Grill, a Spa and Silent Auction event, a Pub Night, a gift basket draw, a Book Sale, a day of professional sessions, and a Walkathon.

We invite you to join us in being thrilled at the thought of patients and their families having even a little more ease in their treatment because of the equipment you’ve helped purchase.

MESSAGE FROM GF STRONG:
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to all of the organizers, donors and participants who generously supported the “Help GF Strong Help Us All!” campaign. We are overwhelmed by the support and commitment of the community as you rallied together to purchase urgently needed equipment for our staff and patients. The funds raised to purchase a Pressure Mapping Device, Fibreoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) device and wheelchair replacement sets ensure that our teams at GF Strong can provide the best rehabilitative care and support to families on their journey of healing, recovery, and improved quality of life. Philanthropy plays a key role in delivering health care to British Columbians and all of you are living proof of the impact a community can make!

 

December 2017

We made or purchased warm scarves and hats to be give to people living on the streets.

We gave homemade Christmas cookies to a safe injection site in the DTES for their clients.

 

2016-17 PRACTICE YEAR SERVICE PROJECTs

Our Core Training program sponsored 3 community dinners at First United Church Ministry, with money raised by silent auction. In total, they donated $1600 towards the community dinners and volunteered in preparing and serving them. First United is a place of hospitality and hope for people in the downtown Eastside.

Also this fall, we purchased and donated socks, underwear and rain ponchos for the clients of First United, and held a coat drive and donated warm coats to the Mosaic Surrey Project for Refugees and to First United.

In December we gave warm scarves and hats, as well as homemade Christmas cookies to people living in the DTES.

In June the Core Training Program also made 2 donations: $350 to SEVA to train a doctor and a nurse, and $320 to World Vision to Stock a Clinic. This donation will multiply 9 times in value to $2880 worth of supplies to stock a pharmacy/dispensary/medical clinic.

In April we created 8 tarp tents that will be distributed in the Downtown East Side. May they give shelter to 8 people such that they feel softer in the world from having received some loving help, may it help their health such that they stay dryer and warmer.

In late March we put together 75 personal care kits for homeless men and women that were given out through the Lookout Society and First United in the Downtown East Side.

Each kit contained a variety of toiletries, kleenex, cough drops, wet wipes, a survival blanket, a rain poncho, duct tape, a toque, gloves, socks, underwear, playing cards and chocolates.

Many thanks to the local businesses that generously donated products or discounts on items for the kits: Modern Housewares, Burnaby, Downtown Dental (Alberni St.), West Van Dental Group, Dr. Steven Hill, River Rock Casino, Richmond.

 

2015-16 PRACTICE YEAR SERVICE PROJECTs

Our Service Projects in 2015-16 included direct offerings to the community and to various charitable organizations.

Greater Vancouver Food Bank Drive: We collected donations of 44 food items in addition to raising $660. Because the Food Bank has a spending power of $3 for each dollar donated, these funds can purchase $1,980 worth of fresh produce to feed those in need.

Homemade food brought to the Downtown East Side: We made and gave out 223 cookies, 40 muffins, 18 pieces of nut loaf, and 27 peanut butter and jam sandwiches.

Toy Drive: We purchased and had donated 37 stuffed animal (or “stuffies”) to the Ministry of Children and Families for children who are being relocated to a different home. These children may be separated from their parents and family for a while, so the stuffy can be a companion for them as they go through this very difficult transition. The staff at the Ministry said it was like Christmas in July!

Book Drive: We held a used book sale, raising $278.00, which went into our charitable project fund for the year. The books that were not sold were donated to: the Atira Women’s Resource Society for their outreach center, the Federal Prison Books Program, the Mount Saint Joseph Hospital and the Friends of the Library.

Healing Hearts: Practitioners created small cloth-stuffed hearts from organic materials in different colors and patterns, each blessed with spiritual healing energy, which were sold to members of our community. This project raised a total of $750.90 to be donated to local and international charities.

Voter Support in the Downtown East Side: Our community donated $30.75 towards the cost of a van rental for one of our practitioners so that she could drive people living in the Downtown East Side to polling stations on election day, enabling them to vote in the federal election.

Warm wear for those in the Downtown East Side: We handed out handmade scarves and hats to people living in the DTES. Additionally, we brought a van full of donated items to Covenant House. The items included clothing, shoes outerwear, household goods, backpacks and toiletries.

We brought Christmas cookies that we baked and decorated to the Food Bank and to people living in the Downtown East Side.

Our commitment to supporting Save the Children continued as an ongoing monthly donation this year.

 

2014-15 PRACTICE YEAR SERVICE Projects

We made a number of donations in the 2014-15 practice year. As well as an ongoing donation to Save the Children, further donations went to Save the Children specifically for their Nepalese EQ relief and for school health clinics, the Kettle Society, and Lunapads in support of their work to keep girls in school. As well, we donated 94 lbs of food to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.

We continued to have hundreds of dollars circulating in KIVA loans, including several loans lost to projects whose service organizations shut down due to the Ebola crisis.

 
 

2013-14 PRACTICE YEAR SERVICE PROJECTs

Our 2013-14, our service projects included donations to the Philippines relief efforts through Action Against Hunger, loans circulating through Kiva, and more lovely and warm handmade scarves and hats handed out on the DTES and in other areas of the city.

 

2012-13 PRACTICE YEAR SERVICE PROJECTs

Our 2012-13 practice year service projects included a donation made to Unicef Sahel Crisis Matching Fund, a donation to the AIDS Vancouver Holiday Grocery Fund, many loans circulating through KIVA, and the lovely handmade scarves donated to single mother families in transition.

 

2011-12 PRACTICE YEAR SERVICE PROJECTs

In 2011-12, for our Community Service Project, we supported the Vancouver Lookout Emergency Aid Society. This is a non-profit charitable organization that provides non-sectarian lay services to homeless adult men and women who cope with a wide variety of challenges.

We created 48 bags of essential items, such as toiletries, gloves, hats and socks, to be distributed to people in difficult circumstances. Many thanks to all those who made this possible by donating funds or items for the kits, including donations from our Christmas worship.

 

2009-10 PRACTICE YEAR SERVICE PROJECTs

For our community service project in ’09 - 10, we raised $1650 from an in-house fundraiser and the Christmas Worship offering, which went towards funding these projects and donations:

To support our local community, we again created 40 bags of essential items. We delivered these to the Lookout Emergency Aid Society to be distributed to their clients and others in need.

To support our global community, we chose two organizations to support: Kiva and Partners in the Horn of Africa. Kiva is a micro-credit organization, and Partners in the Horn of Africa, a non-denominational Canadian charity that works in Ethiopia to rebuild communities through reforestation, construction, and schooling.

 

2008-09 PRACTICE YEAR SERVICE PROJECTs

For our community service project in ’08-09, we put together 40 care bags which contained a collection of essential items that were distributed to people in need in the Downtown Eastside.

This project was supported by many donations from people in the community.