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Partnerships
Our Partners for Supervised Meal Distribution:
A Loving Spoonful (ALS) has worked extremely hard to develop a meals service that fits in with the agencies mandate but also meets the needs of those living in socio-economic distress or those not normally eligible for our service. Initiatives such as meals distribution through Vancouver Native Health and Portland Hotel Society buildings are one example of how ALS is adapting its processes to meet the differing needs of our varied client base.
Vancouver Native Health
Vancouver Native Health (VNH) is a health and social support centre located in the Downtown Eastside. We use VNH as a distribution point for some clients who are difficult to deliver to, or who simply go to VNH every day. In instances where a client’s living environment poses a problem for delivery (gated or secure buildings, no buzzer etc.) their meals are delivered to Vancouver Native Health, where they are stored safely and our clients can pick them up at their convenience.
Maximally Assisted Therapy Program (MAT)
The MAT Program is an initiative that is run daily out of the Downtown Community Health Centre. The aim of MAT is to decrease costly emergency medical access for the most compromised of the DTES HIV/AIDS population by providing daily supervised administration of HIV medications and treatments. Clients attending MAT are living with HIV/AIDS and face multiple barriers including homelessness, mental health issues and addictions.
By partnering with the healthcare professionals at MAT and providing food in conjunction with medications in a safe, supervised environment, we are ensuring that ALS has access to those living with HIV who would normally be ineligible for service due to their socio-economic situation.
A Loving Spoonful provides 70 meals per week to MAT, which are reheated on-site by staff and given out ad-hoc to clients who need nutrition assistance in conjunction with their HIV medication.
Portland Hotel Society
Many of our clients live in buildings run by the Portland Hotel Society (PHS). These individuals often lack the capacity to safely store and/or reheat our meals and so we have developed a ‘bulk delivery’ system to these buildings. PHS staff store the meals and give them out to residents on a one-at-a-time basis to ensure meals are consumed in a safe manner.
YouthCo.
Youthco. is a support group for street-entrenched youth living with HIV/AIDS. They offer peer support and counselling, legal assistance and a safe retreat from the streets. A Loving Spoonful is proud to supply weekly hot meals and snacks to Youthco. as a means to encourage members to attend their services.
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A Loving Spoonful receives 77% of its funding from private donations and grants, rather than government funding. |
