West Vancouver Seniors Activity Centre
Grant Program: Give Where You Live 2023
Funded by: Community donations, matched by the Ian and Rosemary Mottershead Fund
The West Vancouver Seniors’ Activity Centre’s (SAC) meal program began as the COVID-19 pandemic brought to light a genuine need among this community’s most vulnerable seniors, who lacked the means to access regular meals. The Feed the Need program currently serves 3 free meals per week delivered by volunteers. This program not only improves lives and makes food sources easier to obtain for our community’s most vulnerable, but it also develops a sense of volunteerism, as the program is heavily supported by community volunteers.
The Feed the Need program continues to be a great success, supporting seniors in the community to help provide healthy food options to low income seniors. Once again, the community came out to support the cause with their generous donations which were matched by the West Vancouver Foundation, through the Give Where You Live campaign. Despite receiving a large federal grant in late 2023, the funds received through the campaign were still healthy, and the funds will go towards the program to allow it to be a sustainable program moving forward into future years.
Success story:
A senior living in the western part of West Vancouver was feeling very isolated due to the lack of companionship they were receiving, having recently lost their spouse. During the canvassing of buildings that receive Feed the Need meals, staff identified the newly widowed senior and got them onto the program. Over the course of a few months, volunteers conducting deliveries began to build a relationship with the senior, with the volunteers eagerly trying to get the senior out of their home and into the SAC. Eventually, the senior agreed, and since that time has been a regular at the SAC, not always joining in on programs but sitting in the lobby having coffee, enjoying the companionship of others. The Feed the Need program is not only providing healthy meal options, it is building awareness of the Seniors’ Activity Centre and the many programs and services that are offered.
