Last summer, a small group of my friends came together, meeting about once a month, to share food and talk. We had a common goal in that we wanted to help in community however we could.
One thing led to the next and we formed a non-profit society. We found our focus narrowed. We were all interested in doing something about the ongoing drug crisis around the opioid, fentanyl.
Last weekend, Steve and I, went on a field trip and visited the area in Vancouver in the most disarray, our Downtown Eastside.
We walked the alleys and the streets and witnessed residents shooting up in broad daylight, and sleeping on sidewalks.
We saw a young family, giving out food off a table they pulled out of their van, homemade chili and free buns from Costco. A line-up formed and the food was all gone very quickly. Many are hungry.
Two days ago, we went back to the DTES to view 2224 wooden stakes that represented the number of deaths from fentanyl that have occurred in our province in 3 years.
The sheer number of stakes arrayed on the wet concrete was very unsettling. Some were painted, some had names on them.
The stakes, along with hand-written messages, will be collected, placed in a coffin, sent to Ottawa and presented to Parliament.
How can we help? The society, my friends and I have formed, will be looking into creating a centre for women and girls with free food, coffee, and tea like this concept, The Free Store, in New Zealand.
Here’s another. This registered Canadian Charity, Food Stash Foundation, rescues food that is destined for the landfill from producers and suppliers, and delivers the edible food.
To keep it as simple as possible to start, we’d like our centre to be a safe place with free food, where women and girls on the street can come to.
We’ll be looking into government funding to set this up, and as soon as possible, as the weather is changing, the crisis ongoing.
Love is sharing, sharing is caring.
Reaching out to the ones
in the most need.
As lightworkers we’ve done an inordinate amount of letting go. The next steps naturally lead to helping out in community, in whatever ways we can.