Over 400 Sandwiches Distributed in the Downtown East Side

On October 18, we had the chance and privilege of teaming up with the Chinese Community Policing Centre to prepare and distribute 400 sandwiches for the community in the downtown east side. Volunteers spanned the full spectrum, from middle-schoolers to working professionals, all brought together by a shared desire to give back.

We divided into 2 teams: one taking on 200 ham sandwiches, the rest creating 200 strawberry & chocolate sandwiches. Meanwhile, every bag was hand-decorated with cheerful, handwritten messages, because we believe that a personal touch shows more than just a general message.

The youth volunteers jumped into the strawberry & chocolate sandwich team, they had fun assembling them and decorating the bags in so many creative and meaningful ways. The ham team also worked hard like a well-oiled production line: dedicated folks took on tasks like mayo spreading, cheese layering, spinach and ham, and carefully packaging everything into the decorated bags.

After about more than an hour, we paused to enjoy pizza, snacks and refreshments and some time to connect, a little social break before we jumped back in. Then we powered through and wrapped up all 400 sandwiches in just 2 hours.

We didn’t just stop at making them. Once the sandwiches were ready, we split them between a donation to the Dugout, a charitable organization serving residents of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, and a street-distribution team on East Hastings. With help from a CCPC volunteer, we made sure people who couldn’t reach the shelter still received a meal.

Working with CCPC, an organization with deep roots in community safety and volunteer engagement in Vancouver’s Chinatown and beyond has added so much meaning to the day.

As always, it reminded us that even a simple sandwich, wrapped in kindness and warmth, can brighten someone’s day and tighten our community. To everyone who supported, thank you for making it happen, you are the real heroes out there!

Interested in joining us for future events? Sign up for our Volunteer Wave program and be part of the next wave of impact.