On July 30, 2020, the Lotus Light Emergency Charity Kitchen was officially launched after months of preparation and renovation. The Charity Kitchen will provide free meals and drinks to homeless and vulnerable members of the Downtown Eastside (DTES) community. Master Lian Tzi, President of the Lotus Light Charity Society (LLCS), hosted the special ribbon-cutting ceremony for the charity’s new emergency kitchen.
For many years, the LLCS’s Hot Meals for the Homeless program was able to monthly support homeless and low-income seniors living in the DTES with free and nutritious meals at Oppenheimer Park. This program was supported by local restaurants that donated meals and food, but because of the Covid-19 pandemic, many local restaurants shut down or experienced a suspension of services. Thus, it was crucial for the opening of the Charity Kitchen to help meet shortages of food. As a result, the charity decided to renovate an old kitchen to serve vulnerable DTES community members with sandwiches and other warm meals.
The Charity Kitchen received support from many community partners, non-profit organizations, and volunteers. The Second Harvest/ FoodRescue. Ca awarded the LLCS with an emergency fund to help upgrade the kitchen. The Community Response Fund, co-sponsored by the Vancouver Foundation, Vancity, United Way Lower Mainland, and the City of Vancouver, also provided urgent funding to support the meal program.
After 2+ months of preparation, the first meal was officially distributed to DTES community members on July 31st. According to the coordinator in charge of food distribution at the charity kitchen, there are roughly 300 homeless individuals who need support daily as food sources are scarce.
To better prepare for the new emergency kitchen program, the LLCS urged volunteers to take the Food Safe training course to receive a Food Safe certificate.
This past spring, the charity also initiated an organic garden on a farm to grow vegetables that can be used to prepare meals in the kitchen. Before the Kitchen’s opening, volunteers gathered on the farm for two days to help pick freshly grown fruit and vegetables that were distributed to the homeless in the local community.
The LLCS would like to extend its sincere gratitude to the volunteers, community partner organizations, produce companies, and generous corporate and individuals sponsors for their support in helping make this project successful.
Tax receipts are available for donations of $20 or more. Please make cheque payable to “Lotus Light Charity Society” and mail to: Lotus Light Charity Society, 200-357 E. Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1P3, or donate online by Visa or Mastercard, on LLCS website: http://vllcs.org/en/donation/. Lotus Light Charity Society is a registered charity (BN 14110-4893-RR0001). We could be reached at 604-685-5548 or by email to llcsvancouver@gmail.com.