Christmas at Canada Place raises funds and awareness for Strathcona Community Centre's Food Security for Children program. This crucial program ensures children on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside are fed year round with nutritious meals. 

Christmas at Canada Place supports a number of local charities including the CKNW Orphans' Fund, CTV Kids' Care and The Vancouver Sun Raise-A-Reader.

 

About Strathcona Community Centre's Food Security for Children program

The Strathcona Community Centre (SCC) is situated on the east side of downtown Vancouver and services a population consisting primarily of low income families. The residents of this area are mainly Caucasian and Chinese and have an average household income of approximately $15,500 with almost 60% of the population living in low income housing (Statistics Canada, 2006). Low income populations are the most susceptible to food insecurity problems which means that this area is in need of charitable food provision programs to support healthy living.

Built in 1972, the SCC continues to play a pivotal role in the development of Strathcona youth. It currently provides seventeen food related programs which serve an average of two hundred children daily (Active Communities BC, 2009). These programs operate with the common goal of providing their participants with healthy and nutritious food. The programs also deliver nutrition education, hands on food preparation skills, and a safe environment to spend time outside of school. The SCC implemented the Strathcona Food Security for Children" initiative which aims to prevent hunger and malnutrition of children in Strathcona, the country's poorest community (Canada Place Corporation, 2004). The Strathcona community needs these programs to help relieve the occurrence of transient hunger, especially among its youth population.

The Strathcona community is a population susceptible to food insecurity and transient hunger as a result of their low income status. Food insecurity is found to be evident in almost 50% of the lowest income population group in British Columbia (Statistics Canada, 2006) and is characterized by insufficient access to safe, affordable, nutritious, and healthy food. Low income families and those on income assistance have been averaged to spend from 31 to 42% of their monthly income on food alone (Statistics Canada, 2006). This is compared to an average British Columbian family of four who spends approximately 17% of their earned income on food (Statistics Canada, 2006).

For more information about Strathcona Community Centre's Food Security for Children program, click here.