We are parishioners of Christ the Redeemer in West Vancouver, most of us in our twenties. Once a month we cook together, load a pickup truck and drive downtown. Nothing passes through an intermediary. We hand the food over ourselves and stay long enough to talk.
An assembly line in the parish hall on a Saturday morning. Four hundred sandwiches, bagged by hand, with a treat tucked into every one.
Coolers, water and bags go into the back of a truck. By early afternoon everything is on its way into the Downtown Eastside.
We park, split into small groups and walk. Food goes to whoever is in front of us, one person at a time.
Every sandwich made by hand in the parish kitchen, every item handed over on the street.
Most of what a drive costs comes out of our volunteers' own pockets.
Who we are
We met through Christ the Redeemer in West Vancouver. There is no staff, no office and no budget. There is a group chat, a parish kitchen we book, and a truck.
Most of us are students or early in our careers, so what we can give is time and effort rather than money. We show up, we cook, we drive, and we talk to the people we meet. That part matters as much as the food.
For grocery stores
Every drive starts with two full shopping carts paid for by the volunteers. Product support means more of that money ends up in someone's hands instead of at a till.
How it runs
Same kitchen, same group, one Saturday a month. Each drive has been a little larger than the one before it, and the totals above are everything we have handed out since we began.
We are not trying to become a big organization. We are trying to go out reliably, month after month, and to keep adding to those numbers as more people join in.
Get involved
You do not need to be a parishioner or have done this before. Most people who join us come once and keep coming. If you cannot make a Saturday, you can still help by contributing toward the cost of the next drive.
One short form covers both. It has the date and location of the next drive, and how to donate.
CTR Outreach is a volunteer group, not a registered charity, so we are not able to issue tax receipts.
Get in touch
Whether you manage a store, want to join a drive, or want to send food along with us, write or call. We will tell you the date of the next one. We answer everything.