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Providence Health Care Staff Providing Food, Clothing to Downtown Eastside Residents
<< BACK | Download Word File Vancouver, October 12, 2006 — Providence Health Care is helping make this year’s winter season bearable for residents of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, one of Canada’s most disadvantaged urban neighborhoods. On Saturday, October 14, staff, physicians and volunteers from across PHC will gather at Oppenheimer Park to provide clothing and food to over 500 people. Many of those who will come to this highly anticipated event are homeless or poor families in dire need of food and warm clothing. “It is a great opportunity for us to reach outside ourselves and care for the larger community around us,” says Sister Margaret Vickers, a member of PHC’s Board of Directors, who helped organize the event which occurs twice annually. “This initiative is consistent with the tradition, history and spirit of the founding congregations of Providence Health Care, who took their missions to where the need was greatest.” This is the third year that PHC has delivered food and clothing at Oppenheimer Park. Those who were unable to volunteer their time showed their generosity of spirit by donating clothing, food or making monetary donations towards the event. With shelters filling up and often turning away those in need, homeless and disadvantaged people are showing up in a broader range of communities and neighborhoods in Vancouver. In response to this urgent need, and to bring attention to homelessness issues, October 16-22, has been declared Homelessness Awareness Week in communities throughout B.C. Providence is committed to living its mission through its charitable outreach to one of the most marginalized segments of its patient population and community. Last year, PHC was awarded the International Spirit at Work Award presented annually by the Association for Spirit at Work (ASAW).
Members of the media are invited. If you are attending this event, please check in at the food station at 11 a.m.
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