Union Gospel Mission’s Annual Thanksgiving Dinner Means Much to Many

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“Thanksgiving is special for the Downtown Eastside community because a little turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy can open a door or change a life. I remember coming here for Thanksgiving dinner. Having a place to stay and something warm to eat can make you want to change your life. “- Janice Szostak

Author of the article:

Sarah grochowski

The Union Gospel Mission expected to serve 1,400 meals of turkey, vegetables, mashed potatoes and gravy, and pumpkin pie this weekend.
The Union Gospel Mission expected to serve 1,400 meals of turkey, vegetables, mashed potatoes and gravy, and pumpkin pie this weekend. Photo by Jason Payne. /PNG

Janice Szostak lived on the streets of Vancouver for a decade, using the money she earned as a sex worker to buy drugs and alcohol.

On Saturday, she was handing out hot meals behind a Plexiglas screen to the hundreds of people who showed up at the Union Gospel Mission for Thanksgiving dinner.

The staff had prepared more than 1,200 pounds of turkey, 400 pounds of mashed potatoes, 160 gallons of gravy, 400 pounds of vegetables, and 285 pumpkin pies to serve a total of 1,400 take-out feasts this weekend.

“Thanksgiving is special for the Downtown Eastside community because a little turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy can open a door or change a life,” said Szostak.

“I remember coming here for Thanksgiving dinner. Having a place to stay and something warm to eat can make you want to change your life. “

Born in Manitoba, Szostak went from applying for sex work on Hastings Street to pay for illicit drugs to finding a steady job, a place to live in a senior citizen building, and a path out of addiction. She eventually completed the Union Gospel Mission drug and alcohol treatment program and is now an employee of the organization.

“One of the staff just told me that they had never seen me sober until today,” Szostak said. “I no longer work on the streets, I freeze or starve.”

The Union Gospel Mission expected to serve 1,400 meals of turkey, vegetables, mashed potatoes and gravy, and pumpkin pie this weekend.
The Union Gospel Mission expected to serve 1,400 meals of turkey, vegetables, mashed potatoes and gravy, and pumpkin pie this weekend. Photo by Jason Payne. /PNG

Within 20 minutes of the first Thanksgiving meal service on Saturday, a line of customers waiting for meals exceeded the 300 meals UGM had already prepared. Last year at this time, UGM’s efforts saw warm Thanksgiving festivities in the hands of 1,600 people in Metro Vancouver.

“Homelessness has become more acute these days,” UGM spokeswoman Nadia Tchoumi said, noting the increasing number of people in daily meal lines amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, UGM would serve about 3,000 meals, using the help of more than 100 volunteers and dozens of employees. On Saturday, only a few masked employees were working at the site.

“When the first COVID lockdown came, our lineups for lunch and dinner were more than a few blocks down the street. There was no other place where people could go to eat, ”Tchoumi said.

The Union Gospel Mission expected to serve 1,400 meals of turkey, vegetables, mashed potatoes and gravy, and pumpkin pie this weekend.
The Union Gospel Mission expected to serve 1,400 meals of turkey, vegetables, mashed potatoes and gravy, and pumpkin pie this weekend. Photo by Jason Payne. /PNG

Since 1989, the mission has served Thanksgiving dinners to residents of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

In addition to meals, UGM offers emergency shelter, outreach, career development counseling, education, addiction recovery, and more for those struggling with poverty, homelessness, and addiction.

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Reference-vancouversun.com

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