Gastown fire victims among hundreds served Easter dinner at Union Gospel Mission

A helping of ham, potatoes and vegetables Saturday was a “huge thing” for Vancouver resident Doug McInnes, who lost everything he owned in Monday’s fire at the Winters Hotel in Gastown.

“This means everything to me,” said McInnes, sitting outside the Union Gospel Mission on Hastings Street.

“If it wasn’t for these guys, I don’t know what I would do.”

McInnes is among some 2,400 people in need of a helping hand, who are being served Easter dinner by the charitable organization over the weekend.

“The fire is just one example of the many difficulties that our community members are facing on a daily basis,” said UGM spokesperson Nicole Mucci.

Due to COVID-19, the warm meals were put in to-go containers and distributed through a window, just as UGM has been doing for its Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter meals for the last two years.

Among the volunteers was Laura Harvey, who lived in a homeless camp in northern B.C. for years before getting help.

“I was in a dark place and I had agencies and outreaches that helped me get along and made me feel like I was worth it, even if it was just a meal,” Harvey told CTV News.

“If somebody were to ask me, ‘Is there a hope?’ I would say, ‘Keep fighting the good fight and never lose the hope,’” she said.