Vancouver charity serves 2,500 Thanksgiving meals
Thanksgiving weekend is a time for many of us to connect with family, but for those less fortunate, it can be a difficult time of year.
Thanks to the Union Gospel Mission, though, thousands of people at locations around the Lower Mainland got to enjoy a turkey dinner over the long weekend.
That includes at the location on Hastings Street.
In all, the organization served up 22,000 pounds of turkey to grateful people struggling with homelessness, addiction and poverty.
The organization welcomed plenty of regulars—and also a man making a triumphant return after beating his addiction.
“I haven’t eaten here – this dinner – since 25 years ago, when I left the Downtown Eastside to sober up,” David Amm told CTV News Vancouver while eating at UGM’s location on Hastings Street. “I’ve been sober – clean and sober now – for 24-and-a-half years.”
That kind of journey is why those at the mission are still carrying that work out decades later.
“And so here we hope people are filled with the good food in their stomachs, but also the knowledge that there’s a community who cares for them and treats them like friends and family,” UGM spokesperson Sarah Chew told CTV News on Monday.
Beyond providing meals for those in need, UGM also provides shelter and recovery support, and relies fully on donations for its operations.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau and Harris? Poilievre and Trump? Here's who Canadians think would work best with: survey
As Americans prepare to elect their next president on Tuesday, new data from the Angus Reid Institute suggests Canadians hold differing views as to which federal party leaders would be best suited to deal with either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.
B.C. port employers launch lockout at terminals in labour dispute with workers
Employers at British Columbia ports say they are going ahead with locking out more than 700 foremen across the province after strike activities from union members began.
Months after VRBO booking, Taylor Swift fan told home 'not available' during Vancouver concert
A frustrated Taylor Swift fan is speaking out after being pushed from a short-term rental she booked for the upcoming Vancouver leg of the superstar’s Eras Tour.
Felonies, assassination attempts and a last-minute change on the ticket leads voters to Tuesday's U.S. election
A campaign that has careened through a felony trial, incumbent being pushed off the ticket and assassination attempts comes down to Election Day on Tuesday.
Measles cases in New Brunswick more than double in three days
A measles outbreak declared in New Brunswick’s Zone 3 last week, which includes Fredericton and the upper Saint John River Valley, has more than doubled since last week.
Prison sentences handed down for sexually abusive London, Ont. parents
In handing down the sentences for two London parents, Justice Thomas Heeney told the court, "The facts of this case were the most egregious that I have encountered during my 26 years on the bench."
She was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes about a year ago. Here's how her condition was reversed
A year ago, Lorraine O'Quinn was coping with stress, chronic illness and Type 2 diabetes. Then she discovered a health program that she says changed her life.
Surprise swing state? Iowa poll has Harris suddenly leading
Based on victories in the past two elections and polls leading up to Tuesday’s election, Donald Trump had seemed almost certain to win Iowa, but a new poll has Kamala Harris with a sudden three-point lead.
Russia suspected of sending incendiary devices on US- and Canada-bound planes, Wall Street Journal reports
Incendiary devices that ignited in Germany and the United Kingdom in July were part of a covert Russian operation that aimed to start fires aboard cargo and passenger flights heading to the U.S. and Canada, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Monday, citing Western security officials.