Thousands of people living in the Downtown Eastside look forward to the annual Union Gospel Mission barbecue.

It's a day where there are no worries -- just summer fun for the whole community.

"Especially for the kids here," says Ted, a Downtown Eastside resident. "You never see anything 'round here for the kids. The church has put this on and it's excellent."

This year, over 5,000 plates are being served by UGM volunteers, making it larger than the meals the Mission prepares for Thanksgiving or Christmas. The barbecue fills the hole in the stomachs of many, but it's also much more than just a free lunch.

For Paul Murrell, the event marks the anniversary of a life changing encounter.

During last year's barbecue, he had his tent pitched in Oppenheimer Park. Like many others, he was addicted, homeless and hopeless.

But the positive vibe of the UGM volunteers turned his life around.

"It was inspiring to see people giving without being paid," says Murrell. "It piqued my curiosity."

His curiosity was piqued enough that Murrell got clean by signing on to the UGM's recovery program. Now he volunteers to help others who are in the same situation he was a year ago.

"I talk to them like they're humans, because I was treated like I was somewhat sub-human," says Murrell.

"I walked through the doors of the UGM and was treated with respect. That's how I treat the people I see, whether I knew them before or not. Hopefully we'll get through to one today."

But what Murrell doesn't realize is that it's already happening.

Forty-four-year-old David Jones lives in the tent city in Oppenheimer Park. He's epileptic, has HIV and-hepatitis C and with the Union Gospel Mission's help, he's getting into its detox program.

"I've been clean 66 days now," says Jones.

"The guys here at UGM are doing an incredible job. They're trying to find what they can for me. Probably Monday I'm gonna be able to get in for a one year program."

The barbecue is about feeding people, but it can also be the first bit of a new life - one of recovery and repair.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Peter Grainger.