FOOD & NUTRITION PROGRAMS

Nutritional Outreach

☆ Welfare Tuesdays and Welfare Wednesdays

Program Lead: Maria ed@dtesnhouse.ca

The Banana Beat and the Mobile Smoothie Project are two initiatives that aim to provide essential nutrients on the days that low-income residents of the Downtown Eastside are least likely to have access to nutrition.

Banana Beat operates on “Welfare Wednesdays” (or cheque day). The first Banana Beat was held in August 2006, and continues to operate to this day, bringing nutritional wealth (in the form of potassium and other nutrients) as well as dignity and the reminder of inherent deservedness to hundreds of our neighbours who line up in the pre-dawn hours, awaiting the opening of offices to access their Social Assistance payments. Created by the DTES NH, the Banana Beat remains one of our most cherished vehicles for grassroots community consultation and development.

In February 2009, the DTES NH instituted our Mobile Smoothie Project, which was designed to foster community development and to attract those of our neighbours who might never attend our more traditional Community Kitchens. The Mobile Smoothie Project visits a number of partner organizations for approximately 30 minutes every Welfare Tuesday (the day before cheque day). As people mingle and socialize around this low tech activity, the humble blender delivers both a concise nutritional lesson and delicious smoothies to all.

The Mobile Smoothie Project regularly stops at the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, The Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), the Chill Room of InSite, and Oppenheimer Park.

These programs were born of the collective life experience of DTES NH program participants. Through the Banana Beat and the Mobile Smoothie Project, we’re able to offer quality ingredients to Vancouver’s most nutritionally vulnerable population, along with a dignified mode of delivery.