Christ Church Cathedral is pleased to announce that the Anglican parish has received a grant of $80,000 from Community Food Centres Canada’s Good Food Access Fund. The grant will allow the Cathedral to provide emergency food support to neighbours made economically vulnerable by Covid-19. Funding is provided in part by the Government of Canada’s Local Food Infrastructure Fund, as part of the Food Policy for Canada. The Fund aims to strengthen food systems and facilitate access to safe and nutritious food for at-risk populations.
“Before COVID-19 hit, the Cathedral had been sharing meals five days a week in its Maundy Café with neighbours affected by food insecurity. The pandemic heightened the needs of the Café’s guests and created new needs in the community. With this grant from Community Food Centres Canada, the Cathedral is able to adapt in order to meet these new, heightened needs. In addition to offering takeout meals, this grant will help the Cathedral provide emergency grocery support for those whose economic struggles have been amplified by the pandemic” says Andrew Stephens-Rennie, the Cathedral’s Director of Ministry Innovation.
Archbishop Melissa Skelton, currently serving as the Cathedral’s priest-in-charge until the arrival of the new rector, the Reverend Christopher Pappas, June 1 says, “This crisis calls all Vancouver residents to pull together as neighbours, to offer care and compassion, and to work towards a more just society where all have enough to eat, and nobody is denied a seat at the table. This is at the core of the Cathedral’s ‘Open Doors, Open Hearts, Open Minds’ ethos and has always been the work of the church. Together we have the chance to show what kind of city this is, and what kind of people we are, as we respond to the needs before us.”
“Food insecurity was already an urgent problem before the COVID-19 crisis, with one in 8 Canadians struggling to put food on the table. In a time of national crisis, it is in our nature as Canadians to do what we can for our most vulnerable neighbours. We are grateful to the Government of Canada for their quick response, as well as the many corporate partners and generous donors who have stepped forward” says Nick Saul, CEO of Community Food Centres Canada. “The Good Food Access Fund aims to make sure that as many people as possible will be able to get the food that they need. And while we must deal with the current circumstances, CFCC remains committed to advancing policy change that addresses the underlying causes of food insecurity and poverty in Canada. We can’t forget that structural inequity is at the core of so many of the challenges that Canadians face, a fact which painfully confronts us when an emergency like this occurs.”
Christ Church Cathedral
Christ Church Cathedral uses food to nourish its communities in ways that cultivate connection, holistic health, and community resiliency by honouring the agency, creativity, dignity, intellect, and worth of all who come to the table. Learn more at thecathedral.ca or follow @cccvancouver.
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- Christ Church Cathedral Exterior
- Lots of activity in the kitchen the first day of the return of Maundy Cafe April 29