Thousands attend 1st indoor Thanksgiving meal at UGM since start of pandemic

Thousands of people lined up outside the Union Gospel Mission in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside Monday to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal.

This is the first indoor Thanksgiving meal in more than two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 100 volunteers and staff members organized to prepare and serve more than 3,000 meals during the afternoon.

Staff at the Union Gospel Mission said the rising cost of living, the overdose crisis and fires at a number of SRO buildings in the area has forced more people to seek help than ever before.

“We’ve actually seen more and more families coming to our resource centre in New Westminster,” spokesperson Nicole Mucci said.

“We’ve been connecting with our mobile mission rescue with younger and younger folks and folks who have children, which isn’t something we’ve seen a lot of before.”

Staff is serving 1,800 pounds of turkey with all the trimmings.

Like their clients, the UGM is also getting hit with the rising cost of food. Serving 700 meals a day for 365 days has an additional cost of $250,000, according to the organization.

“I was in the helping profession for 29 years. And I worked on the other side of the fence,” attendee Scott Morrison told Global News. “And now I’m on this side of the fence. I can’t believe it. Thank God I’ve got this because I don’t know what I’d do.”

Staff at UGM said these single Thanksgiving meals are a way to not only offer a sense of community but as a connection that can help change a life.”