Food Access is a Community Effort

Lessons from The Dugout

The Dugout is a charity nestled on the edge of the Downtown Eastside and has been a staple in this neighbourhood for 55 years. They are best known for their soup and coffee breakfast - which happens every morning. The Dugout acts as a drop-in center offering their space to a longstanding Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, their soup program and a social place to enjoy a coffee or snack throughout the day.

Day-to-day Operations

This small but mighty charity happens to be one of our community partners; we drop off rescued food twice a week to support their programming. Being one of the only charities that offer breakfast in the DTES, they are busy! Each morning they serve nearly 200 to 300 bowls of soup, and coffee accompanied by a bun.

With the number of people coming through and operations occurring daily, they find it almost impossible to rely solely on food donations. For example, Food Stash only provides a small portion of the food needed for their team to fulfill their programming. 

Power of Partnerships

Our team was fortunate enough to chat with the Executive Director of The Dugout, Lori, who has worked in the DTES for 35 years with various organizations. She provided our team with insight into how they work to create a dignified, welcoming environment despite systemic barriers to fair food access for all. 

One specific idea we discussed was related to the ‘line-up model’ of emergency food programs, which The Dugout has been dealing with for years due to their space constraint, and which Food Stash is navigating right now at its Rescued Food Market. A big takeaway was the importance of having dedicated volunteers available to chat with folks in the lineup, and acknowledging this form of food access is not dignified or preferred. 

As Food Stash has expanded our operations, leaning on experienced folks like Lori and her team adds another level to our strategic partnership model.

'The Dugout' refers to where soldiers would come during the war to seek shelter, meals and rest. And this team has been working hard to create the same type of respite for folks going through hard times. To learn more and support The Dugout: click here