Providence Health Care Offers Their Help in the Downtown Eastside

Vancouver, April 14, 2007 – Providence Health Care (PHC) is helping to bring relief to residents of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Canada's poorest urban neighborhood. On Saturday, April 14, staff, physicians and volunteers from across PHC will gather at Oppenheimer Park to provide food, toiletries, footwear and socks 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 clothing.

According to Sister Margaret Vickers, a member of PHC's Board of Directors, who is involved in this biannual event, “It is a great opportunity for us to reach outside ourselves and care for the larger community around us.”

This is the fourth year that PHC has come to Oppenheimer Park to help. Those who were unable to volunteer their time showed their generosity of spirit by donating footwear and new socks or making monetary donations towards the event.

With shelters filling up and often turning away those in need, those that are visibly homeless are showing up in a broader range of communities and neighborhoods.

Providence is committed to living its mission through their charitable outreach to one of the most marginalized segments of the community that they serve. In 2005, PHC was awarded the International Spirit at Work Award presented annually by the Association for Spirit at Work (ASAW).

Event: Providence in the Park
Time: 11:00 a.m
Date: Saturday, April 14, 2007
Place: Oppenheimer Park (Corner of Cordova & Dunlevy)

Media are invited — If you are attending this event, please check in at the food station at 11 a.m.

Contact: Christine Haid, PHC Communications, 604-806-8022 or 604-667-4397 (PHC Media Pager)