Published: October 2, 2018
Marpole, we need your help! Let’s bring a Community Kitchen to our neighbourhood.
Did you know that the old firehall at 70th and Hudson is going to become the NEW Marpole Neighbourhood House in May 2019? The fully renovated facility will offer programs and services for young families, seniors, immigrants and anyone in our community seeking to connect with neighbours and make new friends.
One of the best ways to connect with neighbours is over food. Which is why Marpole Neighbourhood House has applied for a grant from Aviva Community Fund to install a Community Kitchen in the House. And here’s where you come in. We need YOUR votes to win this opportunity. If MNH wins, they’ll be eligible for a grand prize of $100,000 which will go toward running a Community Kitchen at Marpole Neighbourhood House.
Please consider doing a few things to support this campaign. It will only take a couple minutes:
1. Register and vote for the Marpole Neighbourhood House idea.
2. Share the link widely and encourage others to vote.
Here is the link to our idea: avivacommunityfund.org
The House is competing against ideas from across Canada, so your votes will really make a difference. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Zahra Esmail at 604.324.6212 or zahra@southvan.org. Please visit marpolenh.org to learn more.
Imagine a thriving community where people connect and mingle, where children learn from seniors, where the aroma of multicultural food stems from the kitchen, where a community garden blooms, where volunteers spread their wings, and where youth build their leadership skills. All of this, and much more, takes place at neighbourhood houses across the world.
We are opening a brand new neighbourhood house at the old Heritage firehall #22 in Marpole, one of the lowest income neighbourhoods in Vancouver, BC. In Marpole, 25% of residents live in low income households, and nearly 20% of households are single parent families. Marpole is known for its scarcity of social spaces for people to gather, connect, and get to know their neighbour. This situation is becoming critical as Marpole is experiencing massive growth and development, with the population expected to double by 2041.
We have a solution to this problem: we are opening the Marpole Neighbourhood House in April 2019!
Neighbourhood houses are welcoming places where everyone is included. They bring people together to connect, learn, and contribute in their local community through various programs and services including: food, social, wellness, educational, recreational and support activities. Neighbourhood houses use a unique community development approach, where people use their skills to strengthen their neighbourhood and help one another. We’ve learned that people come to view their neighbourhood house as a second home, and multiple generations from the same family will often discover programs and services that help them develop roots in their community. The friendships that stem from neighbourhood houses often last a lifetime.
Over the past few months, we have consulted with the community in Marpole to learn what local residents want and need at their neighbourhood house. Overwhelming, the greatest need is for food programming and community meals, as food security is a major issue in the neighbourhood.
Our idea is to open up a Community Kitchen at Marpole Neighbourhood House. If we win the Aviva Community Fund grand prize, the money will be used to purchase kitchen equipment, offer a weekly lunch to the community, provide cooking workshops, and create an intercultural, intergenerational recipe exchange.
This will allow people from all walks of life in Marpole to enjoy a meal together, get to know each other, learn to grow food and cook it, share knowledge, and build social connections. The Community Kitchen will be the heart of Marpole Neighbourhood House.
People’s best experiences and social connections tend to come with food – from people sitting around a table eating a meal together. We are excited to see the friendships, community support and ideas that will stem from the community kitchen, which will help shape Marpole Neighbourhood House for decades to come.
We have an opportunity to create something amazing, and we need your help.
Please, vote for the Community Kitchen at Marpole Neighbourhood House now!