Food is Love at Belkin House - Volunteers Serve Up Comfort and Connection

On August 10, 2025, our volunteers returned to Belkin House - a well-loved Downtown Vancouver emergency shelter and transitional housing centre - for another kitchen support shift. This popular event filled up quickly, even though it was a Sunday! Our returning volunteers happily guided volunteers new to Belkin House through the variety of kitchen tasks, from prepping lunch and cutting cakes to serving meals and packing takeaway lunches for residents.

The menu of the day? Crispy chicken strips, cheese bread with olive oil, a fresh salad, and chocolate cake for dessert. Our volunteers had a hand in making the lunch with the support of the kitchen chef, and then celebrated a job well done by sharing the meal together after serving the lunch to Belkin House clients.

At Belkin House, there’s never a shortage of variety in the work we do, but our volunteers do have their favourite tasks:

• Operating the commercial dishwasher (pressurized water + heat = pure satisfaction!)

• Opening the cafeteria serving area gate with the rotating crank

• Cutting slices of chocolate cake (and resisting the urge to “taste test” them)

• Portioning butter and peanut butter—because the smell of those two ingredients is in itself a treat!

We love partnering with Belkin House and it’s clear our volunteers do as well. Our next Belkin House shift is on Tuesday, August 19, and with more staff on site during weekdays, we can bring an even bigger volunteer team. Tasks will include kitchen support, making and serving coffee using an espresso machine, and running a clothing market. Come join our Volunteer Wave Program and RSVP to volunteer with us!