Meet Our Donors – The Door Is Open

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- MissionOur vision is to continue the mission of Christ and the work of the Church under the mandate of Catholic Charities. Our mission will be to lessen the social alienation of the poor, the homeless, and the single room tenants of Vancouver by funneling the community resources available to us. We will do this through the following projects: We will provide our patrons with shelter during the day by running a drop-in center where they can relax and socialize or have a light meal. We will provide our patrons with safe respite during the day from the dangers of the street. We will run for our patrons a recreation program of video entertainment, computer access and free general interest books and magazines. We will run a community service hours project as an outlet for the Elizabeth Fry Society program of the B.C. Justice Department to compensate the community for its victimization We will provide a space for religious and secular groups who offer social service programs for the community and require a physical location to run these programs. Under the inspiration of Jesus Christ we recognize the inherent value of our patrons and will exemplify the beatitudes through our relationship with patrons by emphasizing the following values: We have a patron-driven attitude. We…
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- Free Lunch ProgramThe quality of the lunch we offer daily to our guests continues to improve considerably. This is a result of our contacts with several Catholic Parishes, youth groups and Catholic elementary and high schools who volunteer as well as provide good quality food for our soup and sandwich free lunch. This is in addition to donations from the food bank and other food donors. Our daily capacity to feed the hungry is about 400 people.
- Women’s GroupThe women’s group reach between twenty-five and fifty women using this program on a regular basis. Women meet every Wednesday over a well-balanced meal to discuss such issues close to them as housing, clothing, nutrition and other topics of interest and concern. Housing being the most crucial issue is discussed at length in a group setting and in a one-on-one environment. Most of the women live in small hotel rooms with no access to kitchens. Some are even forced to live on the street with no shelter or food. These women depend on The Door Is Open to meet with others in the same situation, to share a meal and their experiences with new friends, and also engage in some arts and crafts.
- Information, Support and AwarenessHere the clients come to us needing solution-oriented suggestions on how they can help themselves to live a more fulfilling and rewarding life. Our daily work promotes a sense of dignity and self respect among those that need it most, the less fortunate. Most of our guests lack the resources and means to make a better life for themselves. With education, guidance and strong support anything is possible. This program has been a great success as witnessed by the change of their attitude and behavior.
- Youth Groups and StudentsWe have had the delight of introducing some youth groups to the ministry. As we have become more known in the community, we have had an increase participation of students and youth groups who want to share their energy and talents to make the community a better and safer place. This has been a rewarding experience for all involved. Each year there are over seven hundred shoeboxes filled with gifts for the homeless made by students from different schools. This program provides the homeless with the knowledge that people care about them and it provides young people with a valuable experience in charity which may encourage them to do more in the future.
- Clothing ProgramAs we give clothing all year round, we are always in need of donations. It is especially needed during the cold winter months when many of our visitors have little in the way of appropriate clothing to get them through this time of year. We supply clothing for men, women, and children. We also supply sleeping bags and blankets to make the nights a little less difficult.
- Food BankThe staff of the Greater Vancouver Food Bank helps to make it possible for us to feed the many that arrive on our doorstep everyday. On the first three Thursdays and Fridays of every month the food bank brings to The Door Is Open approximately seven hundred bags of food for our clients. The bags of food are given freely at the front door between the hours of eight-thirty a.m. and ten-thirty a.m. We are especially thankful for the continuous support from the Food Bank.
- VolunteerWe are very fortunate to be able to offer a wide variety of gifts and services to our clientele. None of this would be possible without the help of our many volunteers. Our volunteers are from all walks of life with no boundaries between race, age, gender, or social economic status. These volunteers work tirelessly to accomplish the tasks at hand. Volunteers are the very essence of our existence and set a great example for others to follow. Helping others is at the heart of what we do. You are needed here.
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Meet Our Donors

Holy Cross Parish #ChurchNeverStops

Makiko, a parishioner at Holy Cross Parish, in Burnaby recalls, “ It was on Friday, March 27, after I read the article in the BC Catholic https://bccatholic.ca/news/catholic-van/pray-for-homeless-forced-from-shelters-by-covid-19-hostel-head I saw Sister Chita’s loving genuine smile disappearing, and that made my heart ache. I met Sister Chita and Frances, the DIO co-managers, in 2017 Read more…

By The Door Is Open, 7 months7 months ago

Meet Our Donors

St. Thomas Aquinas Regional High School

We are very touched and grateful for the support of our schools! We let the press release from STA speak for itself: Generosity Abounds on the North Shore During the COVID-19 Crisis A record number of sandwiches and baked goods were donated by the St. Thomas Aquinas School and Alumni Read more…

By The Door Is Open, 8 months8 months ago

Meet Our Donors

Catholic Women’s League, St. Joseph the Worker Parish, Richmond, B.C.

From the time that the CWL was established at St. Joseph the Worker Parish five years ago, its members knew that its works of charity would extend beyond the Year of Mercy. Their desire to serve the most vulnerable in our city led them to The Door is Open. This Read more…

By The Door Is Open, 10 months10 months ago

Meet Our Donors

Plastic out, pasta in: Straw-Ghetti, mugs part of green dividend

Owners of a start-up company in Coquitlam have discovered cutting down on plastic isn’t just good for the environment; it can directly help the poor and homeless, too. Vanessa Brascia and Cory Melville officially opened Straw-Ghetti in February. Their company imports Italian pasta, cuts it to size, and sells it Read more…

By The Door Is Open, 1 year1 year ago

Meet Our Donors

Thank You to Mindset Social Innovation Foundation

We are most grateful to Mindset Foundation for coming to The Door is Open again this year to hold their December Turkey Burger lunch. We are always in awe at the enthusiasm, energy, and level of organization that they bring to The Door is Open each year! Bringing in their Read more…

By The Door Is Open, 2 years2 years ago

Meet Our Donors

St. Augustine’s Church

Thank you to St. Augustine’s Parish, Vancouver, for increasing their monthly Food Drive to a twice monthly collection! This generous program was started in 2016 by a group of parishioners attending a Bible study at St. Augustine’s, reflecting on a way to recognize the Year of Mercy. They visited The Door is Read more…

By The Door Is Open, 2 years2 years ago

Meet Our Donors

Thank you, CPABC Vancouver!

Thank you to the CPABC Vancouver Chapter’s Community Outreach Committee for their donation of 300 lunches to The Door Is Open on October 20, 2018. A group of members volunteered to spend their Saturday morning making these delicious sandwiches for our guests. A big thanks also to each of them for their Read more…

By The Door Is Open, 2 years2 years ago

Meet Our Donors

The Door is Open grateful to new donor

Amantie Jotie increases the amount his company donates to The Door is Open to $14,500. (Photos courtesy of AJ Insurance Services) When the president of a New Westminster-based insurance company was getting ready to celebrate his birthday this year, he decided to do something special. Amante Jotie of AJ Insurance Read more…

By The Door Is Open, 2 years2 years ago

Meet Our Donors

Meet Mario, guest and donor

Mario is one of our guests at The Door Is Open. Mario has now twice donated 6 boxes of bananas to us. Mario said this about why he is donating to us: I’m very grateful. I’m given this grace, and it’s only right that I give back what I can. It is not about merit Read more…

By The Door Is Open, 3 years3 years ago

Meet Our Donors

Thank you, Owennie!

What a thoughtful (and tasty) contribution from our generous donor! Owennie’s handcrafted truffles and sweets were becoming so popular as Christmas gifts that friends started ‘ordering’ them from her, prompting her to ask them to make a donation to a local charity as ‘payment’. This year, Owennie decided to expand Read more…

By The Door Is Open, 3 years3 years ago